Heaven Slaying Blade

Chapter 270: The Old Man's Worries


The carriage proceeded along the bumpy road. Inside, Chu Mo and Fan Wudi sat, their faces devoid of any significant sign of disappointment, and maintained a remarkable sense of calmness.

A small Shiba Inu flopped down beside Chu Mo's feet, yawning. Fan Wudi looked at the dog, chuckled, and asked, "Where did you get this little pup from?"

"This little dog... It's not ordinary." Chu Mo replied with a smile, "It should be a ninth-ranked Primordial Beast!"

Fan Wudi gasped in sudden surprise and looked at Chu Mo with incredulity, "Really?"

Chu Mo chuckled, "Indeed, it should be true."

He then recounted the events leading up to him acquiring the Shiba Inu to Fan Wudi.

Fan Wudi let out a sigh, "Who could have guessed that such an ordinary-looking dog would have such an extraordinary background." He then looked at Chu Mo, "What are your plans for the future?"

Chu Mo looked back at him, "What about you?"

Fan Wudi quietly sighed, "My life has been in the army. I suppose I should officially retire now. Being promoted and ennobled should be no problem. But, these promotions, these honors, are not what I desire. At this juncture, I am feeling a bit disoriented."

"Have you ever thought of leaving Great Xia and live somewhere else?" Chu Mo casually asked.

"What do you mean?" Fan Wudi gazed at Chu Mo, "Your fiefdom?"

"Yes," affirmed Chu Mo, with a nod.

"Will that... be feasible?" Fan Wudi looked at Chu Mo, "Our emperor said that the land you acquired from Great Qi will be your fiefdom. But, times change... Even if he did grant you vast lands now, what troops do you have to protect them? You don't have a single soldier under your control."

Fan Wudi then looked to Chu Mo and, with a gentle sigh, said mockingly, "Unless…you plan to rebel."

If I have been given the title of the King of Chu, and have been granted my own fiefdom, why couldn't I recruit and train my own army?" Chu Mo, with a graceful smile, responded, "I have sufficient funds and extensive territory. With these, I can easily recruit and train soldiers. But, I will, one day, leave this world. If you don't like this idea, we can dismiss it."

Fan Wudi closed his eyes, giving the proposal some serious consideration. He then opened them again and looked at Chu Mo, "I have been fighting wars all my life, and to be honest, I never really had any ambitions. But... if there really is such an opportunity, why not give it a try?"

Chu Mo narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Fan Wudi. This was his first time discussing serious matters about the future with his grandfather, and he didn't expect his grandfather to come up with this kind of answer.

Fan Wudi then laughed awkwardly and confessed, "Actually... many years ago, I met a woman."

"What?!" Chu Mo gaped in disbelief at Fan Wudi.

Fan Wudi didn't really look old, appearing only to be around fifty. If he took the elixirs that Chu Mo prepared for him and kept improving, maintaining the appearance of a forty-year-old once he reached the Understanding Heart Realm wouldn't be an issue.

But Chu Mo had never seen his grandfather smitten by any woman throughout all these years.

When he was young, he asked his grandfather why he didn't have a grandmother. After receiving a scolding from the old man, Chu Mo never dared to ask again.

But now, when his grandfather started talking about his feelings, how could Chu Mo not be surprised?

"Well, originally, I thought that... I would simply live out my days. I have you anyway." Fan Wudi sighed, "But you will eventually leave this world. I knew from the start that you were not ordinary. But I always thought that even if you showed your extraordinary side, it would happen... a hundred years after I passed away. I didn't expect you to progress so quickly."

"Grandfather…" Chu Mo sighed, feeling a wave of melancholy wash over him.

Fan Wudi lifted his hand and patted Chu Mo's shoulder, "It's a good thing! Really, I am proud of you and I support you!"

Chu Mo nodded, his heart warmed at his grandfather's words.

Fan Wudi started his story. "Seven or eight years ago, I saved a woman on the border. She was from Great Qi."

"..." Chu Mo was gawking at her grandfather, his gossip instincts set ablaze.

Fan Wudi felt a bit embarrassed under Chu Mo's gaze and grunted, "Are you going to listen?"

"I am listening, I am listening very seriously!" Chu Mo nodded eagerly.

"Then stop making that surprised face!" Grandfather complained, seemingly trying to cover his embarrassment.

"Yeah, Yeah, I got it." Chu Mo then tried to put on a more serious expression.

Fan Wudi glared at him one more time then said solemnly, "In my lifetime, I have always been at the front line, treating Great Qi as the enemy. However, deep down, I don't harbor any hatred for the common folk of Great Qi. They're just ordinary people who aren't responsible for any wrongdoings."

Chu Mo nodded in agreement.

Grandfather continued. "The woman was the leader of a merchant caravan. They were being pursued by bandits from Great Qi. The caravan was dispersed and she barely escaped. Some men were still chasing her. Fortunately, I ran into them and chased off the bandits, saving her in the process."

"A heroic rescue of a damsel in distress! Why has grandfather never mentioned this before?" Chu Mo couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"This isn't about being a hero, these are just things that need to be done when encountered. How could one turn a blind eye?" Fan Wudi glared at him, before continuing, "She was a young and beautiful woman. I couldn't take her to the military camp. After giving her some money and supplies, I sent some of my trusted men to escort her back to Great Qi."

"You did a great job, grandfather!" Chu Mo couldn't hold back, "That woman must have been secretly infatuated with you, right?"

This time, Fan Wudi didn't chastise him, instead he let out a sigh. "All my life, I've hardly ever broken any rules, but this incident did, indeed, violated military regulations. However, my men reported that they also brought back some valuable intelligence for me... That eased my conscience somewhat."

"So it works that way..." Chu Mo's mouth twitched when he heard this.

"Later on, out of gratitude, she would often secretly send me money and supplies whenever her business was prosperous. However, I couldn't accept her feelings. She was more than twenty years younger than me! She was in her early twenties…" Fan Wudi sighed.

"She was financing an enemy!" Chu Mo laughed, "She really is bold!"

Speaking, Chu Mo looked at Fan Wudi, "But, what's wrong with a little age difference? After you cultivate to the Understanding Heart Realm, you will appear to be no more than forty, and your life expectancy will greatly increase. Living more than two hundred years is not a problem, you're still very young now!"

Grandfather's mouth twitched, and there was a hint of surprised delight in his eyes. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to vote and support. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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