"Hello, Xinxia, your brother I will be going away for some time. Please take care of yourself..." Mo Fan gave Xinxia a call after Tangyue had finished convincing the Snake Boss.
"Alright, you should take care, too." Xinxia's tone had with a hint of worry.
"Don't worry... are you at your apartment? Why is it so noisy in the background?" Mo Fan asked when he heard some girls' panicked voice from the other end.
"I'm at the student lodge. Some students had contracted a strange disease. I'm healing them. However, the Healing Magic seems to be ineffective against the disease. There have been quite a number of students falling sick to the disease recently. Furthermore, the school is quarantining the patients, too," said Xinxia.
Xinxia was a student of the School of Healing, thus she would occasionally help the school out when required.
"Do be careful, a strange disease like that is always contagious," advised Mo Fan.
"Mm!"
After hanging up the call, Mo Fan realized that Tangyue had already stored the Skyscraping Snake inside the Totem Orb. The Totem Orb initially had a blue-yellow glow, but it now had turned blue-black in color. He could faintly see something wriggling inside the orb.
"It actually fits?" Mo Fan glanced at the Totem Orb curiously and rolled it between his fingers.
"Now isn't the time to play, we have to get out of here. Zhu Meng's people will seal this place off soon," said Tangyue.
Mo Fan nodded. They left the island with the boat, and headed straight to the west of Hangzhou City.
——-
Tangyue had already come up with an escape path. She was planning to bring the Skyscraping Snake to a place called the White Town, close to the boundary of the safe zone.
The White Town was far to the west of Hangzhou. It was a fair distance away from the city. The White Mountain close to White City had a concealed cave. Only the head of the tribe of the Totem Guardians protecting the Totem Beast knew about the cave, as it was used as the last resort to protect the Totem Beast.
The journey to White Mountain was neither too long nor too short, and Mo Fan's job was to escort Tangyue and the Skyscraping Snake to the White Mountain Thousand Caves.
The White Mountain Thousand Caves consisted of interconnected caves and mountains. The entire area had yet to be explored. It was the perfect place to hide the Skyscraping Snake. It would not even matter if Zhu Meng's people managed to find the entrance of the cave, as the maze-like caves would totally confuse them inside.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Time to head out!"
The two took advantage of the night time and silently left Hangzhou City with the Skyscraping Snake. They headed straight west from the city.
——
Inside the elegant pavilion of a villa, Zhu Meng furiously smashed the expensive teacup in his hand. He was infuriated seeing his subordinates with their heads lowered as they stood in front of him.
"Useless fools! Are you telling me that gigantic snake just vanished into thin air like that? I asked you to keep an eye on the whole tribe of Totem Guardians, and what were you actually doing?" roared Zhu Meng scathingly, pointing his finger at the people.
"Councilman, please have mercy. We did follow your order and keep every important member of the Totem Tribe under surveillance, but we didn't expect they would leave a girl called Tangyue in charge of the Black Totem Snake. Her strength isn't too outstanding in their tribe, so we didn't send someone after her in time..." said Wu Pingjing, the Head of the Royal Guards.
"This Tangyue dares to oppose me when she's a member of the Magic Court. Send out a warrant after her! If the Enforcement Union in Hangzhou says anything, have them all arrested!" snapped Zhu Meng.
He did not expect his plan would be disrupted by an insignificant woman.
"Coucilman Zhu, stop blaming your people." An old man wearing a classic embroidered gown walked into the pavilion with a teapot. His goatee was swaying slightly with his movements.
The Head of the Royal Guards, Wu Pingjing was startled. He stared blankly at Councilman Luo, who was known for going against Councilman Zhu. He could not understand why he would appear in Councilman Zhu's mansion.
"Wu Pingjing, you're still too naive. You're still treating everything as black and white..." Luo Mian said in an elderly manner, while fondling his beard.
"Councilman Luo Mian is one of the supporters of my proposal to eliminate Hangzhou's potential threat. However, considering his influence in Hangzhou's Enforcement Union, he doesn't want to fall out with the people of the Totem Tribe," explained Zhu Meng.
Wu Pingjing opened his mouth wide. He felt like saying something, but he could not find the words.
The relationship between the Councilmen was too complicated. They were strongly arguing with one another during the meeting, thus even Wu Pingjing had assumed that Luo Mian was on the other side. Who knew that he had already colluded with Councilman Zhu Meng?
Did this mean the news about the Black Totem Snake's ecdysis had come from Councilman Luo and his subordinates?
"As a matter of fact, after the meeting yesterday, I already knew that girl Tangyue would be taking the Black Totem Snake. Unfortunately, the Head of the Magic Court, Tang Zhong seems to be suspicious toward me, and dragged me with him to play chess all night," Luo Mian smiled.
"Enough with the nonsense, I've asked you here to tell us the truth. I've already sent out my people to keep an eye on the beast, and yet I still don't understand how she managed to sneak past us without us noticing," said Zhu Meng.
Wu Pingjing nodded too.
The same question had greatly bothered him too. To be on the safe side, not only did he send people to spy on Tang Zhong, Heiyu, and the people of the Totem Tribe, they had also set up a perimeter around West Lake. Tangyue was barely an Advanced Magician. It would be impossible for her to escape without alerting their people.
"I have just learned from my subordinate, too. Although the Black Totem Snake's strength will significantly decrease during the ecdysis, his senses are actually sharper. Any Commander-level demon beast or Advanced Magicians who comes within twenty kilometers of the creature will be detected. It's an important measure to keep himself safe, as it allows him to quickly detect any potential threat and escape from his enemies. That Tangyue must have used his ability to sneak past your people, " said Luo Mian.
Zhu Meng raised his brows in astonishment.
The Head of the Royal Guards, Wu Pingjing also raised his head with a surprised look.
"The Black Totem Snake is considered fairly strong even among the Ruler-level creatures. How could he not possess any outstanding capabilities? Therefore, the number of people you're sending after them won't make a difference. The Black Totem Snake will easily sense their presence," added Luo Mian.
"So you're implying..." said Zhu Meng.
"The Magic Court has lots of interns. You can send them instead. Just keep them busy instead of trying to capture them, and wait until your Royal Guards arrive. That Tangyue would have no chance of escaping from us!" Luo Mian fondled his goatee, as if he had already thought of a plan long ago.
Zhu Meng fondled his thick beard.
The truth was, it was not his first affair with the Black Totem Snake. He was well aware of its outstanding senses. Since his Royal Guards were unable to track the Totem down, it was indeed a better idea to send the interns after him.
The Magic Courts had quite a number of interns, and not only interns, but those who were on probation before officially joining the Magic Courts, too.
He would not believe that a group of elites was not enough to handle Tangyue, who had just become a member of the Magic Courts!
"Go, get every single person that's available and make sure you bring them back here," ordered Zhu Meng.
The Royal Guards saluted before proceeding with the order. They began to arrange every intern and those that were on probation.
——
In Zhejiang Institute's campus, located in Jinxi, a man yelled out in excitement in the student lodge, "Brother, are you serious about that?!"
"How could I lie to you? This operation can only be done by interns and people on probation. I immediately listed your name when I heard the news from my superior..." a rough voice said on the other end.
"Thank you so much, I've always wanted to join the Magic Courts! Even if I'm only considered on probation now, it would still give me a great advantage competing for a spot on the main campus," Liu Yilin blurted out in excitement.
"It's a very precious chance for you. I heard that if you performed well, you will be promoted straight to an official member of the Magic Court, with a bright future ahead!" agreed the man on the other end.
"An official member of the Magic Court... this... brother, what operation is it exactly?" asked Liu Yilin.
"I don't know yet, but I was told that it's something to do with the Skyscraping Snake. Don't ask too many questions. Pack your stuff and come to me at once. Your brother is only an intern, too. It's already hard enough to get you a spot."
"Right, I'll be there soon."
Becoming a member of the Magic Court straight away. The title alone was a guarantee that the Enforcement Union would fully support him to become an Advanced Magician!
What was the biggest difference between Magicians? The amount of effort they put in their cultivation?
Of course not! What a Magician really needed was resources, a formidable background or faction that was willing to train you!
The Enforcement Union was almost every student's ambition. Whenever Liu Yilin thought about the possibility of becoming an official member of the Magic Court if he performed well, he could feel his little galaxy exploding!
He would not have such a great chance at leaping into the dragon door again, thus he had to make good use of it!
"Liu Yilin, where are you going?"
"I've been told to do a mission for the Enforcement Union," replied Liu Yilin in a proud tone.
"Bullshit, you're only on probation. Even though it sounds rather cool among the students, I'm pretty sure you're far away from becoming an official member of the Magic Court. Why would they send you on a mission?" the man with brown hair asked with a smile.
"I can tell you that if the mission is a success, I'll soon be promoted to an intern, or if I'm lucky enough, I can even become an official member. When the time comes, who else in this Zhejiang Institute is worthy to be compared with me?" answered Liu Yilin.
"Are you sure about that?" The man saw Liu Yilin was being rather serious about it.
"Of course!"
——
Heading west, Mo Fan did not dare to ride his beloved mount, knowing that he could not afford to attract any attention. He had no choice but to leave Hangzhou City with Tangyue on foot.
The sky was slightly lit when they arrived at the outskirts of the city. Mo Fan said to Tangyue when he saw the sweat on her forehead and her nervous look, "Your god is better than my little loli."
"What little loli?" asked Tangyue.
"Lingling from the Clearsky Hunter Agency, my partner. It's been a while since I last met her. I do miss her now," said Mo Fan.
"Oh, are you talking about the little girl Leng Qing? She's an extremely talent among the people in the Magic Court. Among the girls in the Magic Court, I'm the most impressed by her. I was occupied when the Black Vatican was targeting you, so I asked Leng Qing to seek help from the Clearsky Hunter Agency, but I didn't expect you to be a hunter under them... Speaking of which, they only recruit the best elites, why would they let you join?" said Tangyue.
"I don't like the sound of that. It feels like you're saying that I'm normal," protested Mo Fan.
Tangyue smiled. Her nervous face slightly relaxed. She glanced at the Totem Orb, then at the magnificent Hangzhou City behind them.
"Miss Tangyue, don't you worry. With me, Mo Fan, here, I'll make sure you both arrive at the White Mountain Thousand Caves safely." Mo Fan softly patted Tangyue's shoulder.
"Thank you..." Tangyue felt a little sorry for him.
She never thought it would turn out like this. The Enforcement Union would have sent out a warrant after them, and Mo Fan was only involved in this mess because of her.
Tangyue thought Mo Fan would only escort the Black Totem Snake to the White Mountain Thousand Caves with her. He was an outsider, and someone she could trust, thus it would help them avoid the traitor in her tribe. To her surprise, Zhu Meng was already given power by the two organizations with the highest authority in the nation. As a result, Mo Fan had no choice but to face the people of the Enforcement Union with her.
"Miss Tangyue, in my opinion, I think you can only repay my sacrifice of putting my life at stake by pledging to marry me," said Mo Fan with a stern look.
Tsk tsk, the two mountains with the urge to burst out from her buttoned shirt, and the booty so firm that not a single wrinkle could be seen on her skirt. Mo Fan had already spent quite some time indulging in his lewd imaginations when he attended her classes back in the days. He could not help but recall the intense situation in the backseat of the taxi. If he failed to secure such extraordinary beauty, Mo Fan felt like he would be letting his father Mo Jiaxin down by not producing enough kids for the Mo Family!
"If you managed to help the big guy escape from the danger..." Tangyue bit her red lips and said after a slight hesitation, "I'll promise you."
Mo Fan's jaw almost dropped to the ground. Was Miss Tangyue actually thinking of pledging to marry him?
"Miss Tangyue, that has to be a joke, right?" he asked hurriedly.
Tangyue stared into Mo Fan's eyes seriously, but she soon shifted her focus and said sincerely, "My father left me at a very young age, I remember he once said that even if he's not around, he would be watching me like a star in the sky, protecting me... I didn't know what he meant back then, until the god's figure slowly surfaced from the West Lake.
"Mo Fan, maybe you find it hard to believe that the god is actually guarding the city, and I do admit that I'm clueless if he's done anything harmful in the past. The people of our tribe are only obeying the teachings passed down to us from our ancestors, but at least I'm confident that he's looking after me. He has done so for many years, and now when he's the most vulnerable, I really want to try my best to protect him to overcome the current situation. He's really important to me, and you're willing to take such a huge risk just to help me, so I don't think any request from you can actually outweigh how much you're helping me."
Mo Fan softly patted Tangyue's shoulder to comfort her. He could easily tell that the Snake Boos was protecting her like her father, he was her family.
Therefore, he should not be taking advantage of someone else's precarious situation!
It was not like Mo Fan wasn't extremely touched by Tangyue's words, but he assumed that if he were to do anything harmful to Tangyue, the Snake Boss which had been looking after her would swallow him with a single bite, not even leaving his bones behind.
It was wise for him to examine his attitude closely. Sometimes, you shouldn't totally believe a woman's words...