Guardian of the Master

“Do you think Xu Wendong could be behind this?”

Long Tianqi asked casually.

“No, I’ve been keeping an eye on him. It’s not him. But if someone can extract abilities, then this situation is far more serious.”

Dongfang Shuye stood up abruptly.

“Then could it be a leak of the Ning family’s technology from before?”

Lin Mo shook his head. “No, their technique still requires equipment. If they used equipment to extract abilities, you wouldn’t have found Qin Suishou’s body at all.”

“The Ning family isn’t the only ones who can extract abilities. Your teacher, the Northern Mystic True Man, can do it too.”

Long Tianqi suddenly spoke up.

“That’s even less likely. I could kill Qin Suishou in an instant, let alone my teacher. He only needs to flick his wrist—I can guarantee both Qin Suishou’s soul and body would be annihilated on the spot.”

“So what’s really going on?” Dongfang Shuye’s head was spinning.

“I don’t know. You go investigate. As a consultant, I’ve done everything I need to do.”

A knock came from outside the office door, two sharp raps, neither too loud nor too soft.

Xu Wendong pushed the door open, a forced, relieved smile on his face.

At last, the director’s office no longer felt like a hellish cage.

“The interrogations are done.”

He placed a file on the table, his tone noticeably lighter. “A mental interrogation specialist from headquarters handled it personally. That man was hypnotized with an incredibly sophisticated technique—a command was implanted deep in his subconscious, set to release that recording under specific conditions.”

The conclusion was clear and direct, removing the suspicion that had been unfairly pinned on Lin Mo.

Lin Mo’s face showed no reaction, but his fingers unconsciously tapped against the table.

The waters of Tianjing were murkier than he had anticipated.

Anyone capable of employing a hypnotist of that caliber, killing someone to steal their ability, and also setting up a trap in the process—was definitely no small fry.

He stood up, looking at everyone.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll head back to the base. I still have problems to solve.”

As he finished speaking, his steps paused, as if he’d remembered something. He glanced back at Long Tianqi, who had been silent the whole time, and his tone dropped a few degrees colder.

“One more thing: stop causing me trouble. You’re Yan Huang Awakening—can’t you show some initiative? Fix that bureaucratic habit of passing the buck whenever something goes wrong, especially you, Long Tianqi.”

The words were heavy, almost like slapping the director across the face in front of his subordinates.

The air in the office turned icy.

Lin Mo turned and left without sparing Long Tianqi another look, his posture as though a deep rift lay between them.

It was clear to see. There was some serious tension between the two.

Xu Wendong glanced at Long Tianqi, then at Dongfang Shuye, and quickly said, “Since that’s the case, I’ll see Lin Mo out.”

“Thank you for the trouble, Minister Xu.”

The door slammed shut, cutting off everything inside.

Long Tianqi’s tense shoulders slumped instantly. She let out a long sigh, picked up her teacup, and blew off the steam.

Dongfang Shuye looked at her from the corner of his eye, a mischievous smile playing at the corner of his lips.

“Tsk tsk. The Oscars owe both of you a statue. The way you two put on that act—I almost believed it myself.”

“That’s the best way to dispel Xu Wendong’s suspicions. Besides, we did it to maintain stability within Yan Huang Awakening.”

Dongfang Shuye looked at the bureau chief in front of him and couldn’t help but say,

“But... I feel like you’re enjoying the act too much.”

“What act? I didn’t say anything, okay.”

In the elevator, Xu Wendong turned to Lin Mo.

“Consultant Lin, what’s your impression of Yanhuang Awakening?”

“A towering tree, but with too many pests,” Lin Mo replied calmly, his tone unreadable.

Xu Wendong sighed. “That’s just how it is. Dead branches on a big tree are normal. We’ve been working on it, but please believe the bureau chief—she genuinely wants to bring stability to Huaxia.”

“I don’t doubt her. I just think she’s too green. If you can’t even handle something like this, it’s hard for me to trust you with bigger issues.”

“We will. Once this painful transition passes, Yanhuang Awakening will only get better.”

Lin Mo didn’t respond. Xu Wendong’s act was impressive—if it weren’t for the faint black aura rising from him, Lin Mo might have actually believed he was a man of action.

But real villains aren’t always so obvious. Sometimes, they even do good deeds along the way.

As for this matter, how Yanhuang Awakening conducted its investigation was their own business. Lin Mo couldn’t be bothered—he wasn’t their father.

--System: My sword and shield!--

And so, October slowly passed.

A full month later, Lin Mo finally submitted the problem set Teacher Bai had given him.

But this left Teacher Bai and the other examiners utterly stunned.

“Lin Mo, are you sure you won’t consider Tsinghua? I could ask my mentor to personally guide you—he hasn’t taken on any students in a long time.”

Lin Mo shook his head. “Teacher, don’t go there. I’m not that passionate about math. I only did it for the extra credit, and I genuinely have no interest in researching math.”

Hearing this, Teacher Bai didn’t push further. He figured he’d bring it up again next time he saw Lin Mo, but no more than that—pestering would only make Lin Mo avoid him.

As for the other students, there was no need to even mention them.

They had a very direct sense of Lin Mo’s superiority.

Because Lin Mo never asked the teachers for help with problem-solving. Instead, they often saw him playing games with Teacher Qi Ming.

Some tried to join Teacher Qi Ming for gaming sessions, but they were always dismissed with a single question: “How far along are you on the problems?”

A few brave souls even asked Teacher Bai how Lin Mo was progressing.

Teacher Bai simply replied, “He’s already finished them all,” leaving them dumbfounded.

The gap was always measured by comparison.

And Lin Mo’s gap with them seemed... considerable.

Passing by the classroom, Lin Mo waved at Tong Dong inside before heading back.

The burly guy from Shandong sitting next to Tong Dong couldn’t help but ask,

“How is this Lin Mo so ridiculously good? You went to the same school as him—doesn’t he just crush you completely?”

Tong Dong shook his head. “Lin Mo is a great guy. Grades are just one part of who we are, not everything. Knowing someone like him matters more to me than being ranked number one.”

“You’re way too easygoing. That totally fits what I’d expect from a southerner. But that Lin Mo guy is pretty cocky.”

“Pfft, if I were as talented as him, I’d be even more arrogant.”

“That’s true—you were already the cockiest guy at your own school.”

“You bet I was!”

Everyone chimed in, tossing words back and forth.

A few people in the room glared resentfully at Lin Mo as he passed, but that was hardly worth mentioning.

Just as Lin Mo was about to head back and continue his cultivation...

He sensed something was wrong.

It was the jade bracelet protecting its owner—something was making a move against the one who wore it.

Only Chu Lintian wore that jade bracelet.

Lin Mo walked straight through the wall, gazed in the direction of Yangcheng, and with a single step, he covered a thousand miles in an instant.