Becoming Mo Fan's Bodyguard
The ancient capital's tombs — a land of the undead?!
For Mo Fan, this was like having an entirely new door thrown open before him.
In truth, he had spent most of his years grinding through hard cultivation and still didn't have a thorough grasp of this world's overarching framework. He only knew that everything from his original world existed here too — history had unfolded much the same way, and even historical figures were unchanged.
But just now, while joking around with the map vendor, Mo Fan had noticed something odd: the myths and legends that had circulated in his original world were inexplicably absent here.
The small discrepancy nagged at him. These two worlds were mirror images of each other — even the tiniest details matched. There was no reason such ancient myths, passed down through countless generations, would simply vanish... unless...
"The ancient capital's tombs have a long history," Xinxia said. "Hunters discovered the entrances many years ago, but the undead creatures inside are ten, even a hundred times more ferocious than ordinary Demon-Beasts. Many archaeologist Mages have ventured in hoping to recover historical artifacts, only to be driven back by the undead guardians sworn to defend those tombs with their lives. Concerned about the damage that might result — and the sheer number of clueless adventurers getting themselves killed — the government declared the area a restricted zone. Mages are no longer permitted to enter."
"I see. I really am geographically hopeless," Mo Fan said with an awkward scratch of his head, playing up his ignorance.
Inside, however, a storm was already raging.
The ancient capital — that was Xi'an. Mo Fan knew perfectly well that the area around Xi'an was littered with tombs. It had been the capital of six dynasties, for crying out loud — imperial mausoleums were practically as common as grave mounds on an ordinary hillside!
What he had never anticipated was that because this world had undead creatures, those ancient tombs had been transformed into something out of a nightmare.
Undead creatures were broadly classified alongside Demon-Beasts — which meant those vast tomb complexes had essentially become underground playgrounds for monsters!
Just picturing it sent a chill crawling up the back of his neck.
"The tomb of the ancient king who commanded our ancestors to guard the Earth Sacred Spring is located there," Xinxia continued. "So if we want to get to the bottom of all this, we'll need to search for clues inside. My history teacher has been petitioning the school and the government to assemble an archaeologist Mage team to enter. Since the Bo City disaster still hasn't been fully explained, the petition might actually succeed this time. If it does, the teacher plans to select a few students and bring in a team of capable Mages to explore that ancient king's tomb."
"Your teacher has some real nerve," Mo Fan said. "But all of this stretches back thousands of years. Surely you're not saying the Black Church has been nursing a grudge across generations — that would be a stretch. From what I've heard, the Black Church originated overseas."
"I don't know either," Xinxia said, sticking out her tongue. "The teacher has just been deeply immersed in this subject for a long time and is completely obsessed with archaeology..."
Xinxia couldn't forget how that history teacher had spent an entire week of classes lecturing about Bo City, the Guardians, and the Earth Sacred Spring...
Mo Fan didn't press the subject any further with Xinxia. As survivors of the Bo City disaster, neither of them was eager to dwell on it.
"Brother Mo Fan, who are you calling?"
"Teacher Tang Yue. She lives near here, and since I'm already in the area, I thought I'd say hello. But she seems to be busy — she's not picking up."
"Oh."
"Never mind. Let's head back to Shanghai. I'll show you our new place — I think you're really going to like it."
"Okay! Okay!"
**Lingyin Temple — The Tribunal**
Ten Tribunal members sat around a stone table, each bearing an emblem of two crossed holy swords on their chest. Their expressions were grave, their faces carved from stone.
"The Dunhuang Sand Tiger rampage has been resolved."
"The criminal Zhang Jia has been apprehended."
"Jiayuguan shows signs of a developing threat. Additional personnel are required."
"The Serpent Clan is running rampant in Qiandao Lake. Military intervention is needed. The number of missing persons has exceeded twenty."
"The barrier at Three Pools Mirroring the Moon is weakening."
The reports came one after another, brief and precise. Seated at the head of the table was an elderly Mage robed in sweeping garments of intertwined gold and red. After each report, the old Mage immediately assigned someone to handle the matter.
"Tang Yue."
"Present, Chief Adjudicator!" Tang Yue's hair was pinned high, revealing the full elegance of her features.
Today she wore none of her usual gentle warmth. Her expression was frost-hard and severe, not a trace of a smile — a sharp, commanding air entirely her own.
"The barrier at Three Pools Mirroring the Moon falls under your care. Since it has begun to weaken, suspend all other duties, see this matter resolved, and report back when it is handled," the elderly Mage said.
"Chief Adjudicator, the one you assigned me to tail — the man who tampered with the spring and made contact with Chao He — are we really just going to let him get away?" Tang Yue asked, a note of surprise in her voice.
"I will personally assign someone to continue pursuing that matter. The mastermind has been confirmed as Saron. Saron still appears to have designs on the Earth Sacred Spring. Once you have stabilized the barrier, keep a close watch on the child who once protected the Earth Sacred Spring," the elderly Mage said.
"Saron is going after him?! But given Saron's strength and that of his direct subordinates, I'm afraid I might not be enough..." Tang Yue's composure cracked.
"Rest assured. Saron and his men are already under tight surveillance and containment by us and certain allied organizations. Saron himself is well aware of this, which is why what he deploys are mostly low-level lackeys. You should have no difficulty dealing with those stragglers. The moment any of Saron's elite make a move, we will immediately dispatch people to intercept them," the elderly Mage said.
"Understood. Once the barrier is secured, I'll head to Shanghai right away." Tang Yue accepted the order.
"You're dismissed. Lu Junhe."
"Present, Chief Adjudicator!"
"Travel to Japan. Determine whether the creature that attacked the fishing village was a wild Demon-Beast or their Summoned Beast."
"Understood!"
"Li Jiang — you can close the net. That High-Level Mage..." A pause. "Eliminate on sight."
"Understood!"
After leaving Lingyin Temple, Tang Yue switched her phone back on.
The moment it powered up, she found a string of missed calls — and two of them were from that little rascal Mo Fan, of all people.
She was mildly surprised. She had been planning to track him down herself, and here he'd gone and called her first.
"Why were you calling me?" The easy, unhurried lilt had returned to her voice.
"I missed you."
"Get lost."
She had never met a student with such nerve. Did he really think that what happened between them that one time gave him license to do whatever he pleased? Dream on.
Mo Fan knew better than to push too hard. "I was just in Hangzhou," he said earnestly.
"And now?"
"On my way back to Shanghai."
"I'm heading to Shanghai myself before long, but I need to finish things here first," Tang Yue said.
She hesitated over whether to warn Mo Fan that someone might come after him. But on reflection, there was no point burdening a student with that kind of information. Better to quietly deal with those Black Church lackeys herself when the time came.
"I'll treat you to spicy crayfish when you get there."
"Deal."
Tang Yue ended the call, a thought creeping into her mind unbidden: *How do I keep getting tangled up with this little rascal? And now I've actually been assigned to play his bodyguard.*