Chapter 2: Water Spirit Pearl

Mo Xing showed little reaction upon hearing this; he had already roughly guessed the outcome from the scene he had just witnessed outside. "Rest assured, Your Highness. Although I have been a slave for three years, I have never given up on searching for the Water Spirit Pearl. During these three years, I have already uncovered some clues." He lived for the sole purpose of finding the Water Spirit Pearl for Sima Bo and assisting Sima Bo in reclaiming his kingdom.

"Is that true?" Sima Bo was shocked. They had searched for twelve years without success, and now that there were leads, he found it hard to believe.

"It is. As far as I know, there is a transcendent master living on the Heavenly Mountain of the Lingxing Kingdom named Qingye Yiren, and he is the person we have been searching for all this time." As he spoke, Mo Xing's eyes flashed with excitement; after all, he had been searching for a full ten years.

"Qingye Yiren... so that figure truly exists." Sima Bo was also somewhat agitated. Over the years, he had almost given up hope, especially during the three years Mo Xing was gone, when his resolve to find the Water Spirit Pearl had grown even weaker. After all, no one understood the Holy Spirit Pearl and the Water Spirit Pearl as deeply as Mo Xing did. As he rose from the wooden tub, he thrust his right palm toward the clothes rack to his right; the garments fluttered up with the force of his palm wind. He leaped from the tub, dressed himself mid-air in a single motion, and landed gracefully. This entire series of movements happened in an instant, revealing his unfathomable martial arts.

Sima Bo glanced at Mo Xing standing beside him, then walked to the stool inside the large tent and sat down. "Mo Xing! Oh, Mo Xing, you always appear before me in my most difficult moments and give me hope. You said that if the Water Spirit Pearl was not found before I turned thirty, I would die after having my yang energy sucked dry by the Holy Spirit Pearl. During these three years since you left, I had ceased to hold any hope. It seems Heaven has not abandoned me." It wasn't that he feared death, but rather that he had great ambitions left unfulfilled; how could he die before reclaiming the world!

A flash of pain crossed Mo Xing's eyes. Seeing Sima Bo in distress made his heart ache as if cut by knives. "Your Highness, please do not let your thoughts run wild. You are only twenty-two; there are many years ahead of you. With me here, I will not let anything happen to Your Highness. Now that we know the whereabouts of the Water Spirit Pearl, we only need to send someone to retrieve the Holy Spirit Pearl from Qingye Yiren."

"Mm! Then in your opinion, who is capable of this task?" Sima Bo knew clearly that to reach the Heavenly Mountain, one had to pass through the Su Chuan Kingdom and then reach the Heavenly Mountain of the Lingxing Kingdom. One wrong move on the journey could mean death, and once others realized they held the Water Spirit Pearl, they would surely fight desperately to seize it. Retrieving the pearl would likely not be so easy.

Mo Xing thought for a moment and said, "To retrieve the Water Spirit Pearl without fail, Your Highness must go personally. Of course, I will accompany you. Once we arrive, we can take the opportunity at the Heavenly Mountain to invite a few of Qingye Yiren's disciples to descend the mountain and assist us in reclaiming the world. What do you think, Your Highness?" Qingye Yiren was the foremost sage among the five kingdoms; he was capable of governing a nation with wisdom and conquering the world with martial prowess. His disciples were famous throughout the land, and few were unaware of his great name. However, he was very selective with his disciples, and ordinary people could rarely invite them, as they were accustomed to a life of leisure and were unwilling to participate in the struggles of various nations. But Sima Bo was different; Sima Bo's father had once saved Qingye Yiren, and subsequently, Qingye Yiren had left a jade pendant for Sima Bo's father. Now, that jade pendant was in Sima Bo's hands; they only needed to present it.

Sima Bo pondered for a while, then nodded and said, "Very well, we shall proceed according to your plan. Once I have arranged the matters of the military camp tomorrow morning, we shall set out. However, Mo Xing, you have only just returned and must now travel with me again; it will be hard on you." Although he and Mo Xing were sovereign and subject, they also shared a deep brotherly bond.

Moved by Sima Bo's words, Mo Xing knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times before saying, "With those words from Your Highness, this subject's death would be worthwhile." His eyes welled with tears. When he was ten years old, he fell gravely ill, and his family had no money for treatment, so they left him on the streets, hoping someone would take him home. But he had been on the streets for three or four days without a single person taking him in. Just as he thought he was about to die, he was unexpectedly met by Sima Bo. It was Sima Bo who used blood containing the Holy Spirit Pearl to make him drink, allowing him to recover. Since then, he had followed Sima Bo constantly.

Sima Bo immediately stood up, walked to Mo Xing, leaned down to help him up, and said, "There is no need for such formality between us. Look at you, covered in the dust of travel; hurry back and rest! Your quarters are still in the same place. I have kept them for you throughout these three years of your absence. I knew you would return." He noticed that the white clothes Mo Xing wore were somewhat dull and stained with dirt at the corners, proving he had traveled day and night to return.

Mo Xing bowed to Sima Bo. "Yes, this subject takes his leave." Having said that, he turned and departed.

As Sima Bo listened to the sound of Mo Xing's footsteps fading into the distance, his expression turned cold. He said in a low voice, "Come out." As soon as he spoke, a figure flew out from behind the tent like lightning and knelt before him. Sima Bo's tent had two entrances: a large main door at the front and a smaller door at the back.

Sima Bo cast a cold glance at the dark figure kneeling on the ground, then stood with his back to the figure and said, "How bold of you to dare eavesdrop from behind." His voice was bone-chillingly cold, devoid of any warmth, appearing as if he were a completely different person from how he had just treated Mo Xing.

The man kneeling on the ground was not afraid of the frost-like aura emanating from Sima Bo that could freeze a person solid. He said respectfully, "Your Highness, this subject was not eavesdropping; I was listening openly. You were the one who summoned me. I saw that the strategist had returned and did not wish to disturb your conversation, so I could only wait outside. Your Highness, this subject is innocent!" He was Sima Bo's most capable general, the Great General Xue Hu, who commanded the three armies. Although he looked to be around thirty and possessed a very robust, standard military physique, he had a pair of fierce black eyes beneath thick, sword-like eyebrows, giving him a particularly majestic appearance.

Sima Bo turned around, walked up to Xue Hu, then crouched down to meet his eyes and said, "Since you heard everything, how much credibility do you think the words Mo Xing just spoke have?" After asking, he stood up and looked at Xue Hu. In truth, it wasn't that he didn't trust Mo Xing, but rather that he trusted no one. Ever since his father died, he had ceased to trust anyone. Back then, his father had doted so much on Consort Su, and what was the result? She had betrayed his father just the same. Now, he had to consider every decision with extreme caution; if his judgment were wrong, the consequences would be severe. He could not afford any major upheavals in his military camp right now. He held a half-doubting attitude toward everything Mo Xing said, and to be responsible for the three armies, he could not allow any personal bias.

Xue Hu stood up from the ground, walked to Sima Bo's side, his eyes darting continuously. He answered only after careful thought, "This subject believes Mo Xing's words are entirely credible. From my years of knowing him, even if you demanded his life, he would never do anything detrimental to Your Highness. His loyalty is beyond doubt." Having spent many years with Mo Xing, he naturally would not betray him, and he also believed Mo Xing would not betray Sima Bo.

Sima Bo nodded and said, "You heard just now; we depart tomorrow morning. I leave the matters of the military camp to you. Remember, before I return, no matter what happens, you are not to lead the troops into battle. You may only defend, not attack. Do you understand my meaning?" His voice was very serious, and his expression was solemn.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. This subject understands and will certainly act according to your instructions," Xue Hu replied. Xue Hu was always a man of order; whenever Sima Bo went out, it was he who commanded the three armies.

Looking at Xue Hu's confident manner, Sima Bo said in a low voice, "If you allow anything that should not happen to occur within the army this time, you will not live. Dismissed! I am also tired."

"Yes, this subject takes his leave. Your Highness, please take care of your health," he said, bowing to Sima Bo before exiting the large tent.

Sima Bo watched his disappearing figure. He stood there for a long while before vanishing instantly from within the tent.