Heaven Slaying Blade

Xu Zhongliang grew more excited as he spoke: "Before, we all speculated about who could accidentally give our Great Xia such a massive help. The sovereign even said that once he finds out who that person is, he would definitely bestow a Heroic Medal to him! Now that's a promise made in earnest! Hahaha, Chu Mo, oh Chu Mo... well done, you! The Heroic Medal of Great Xia, from its establishment to the present day, close to a thousand years of history, and yet less than a hundred have been awarded!"

Xu Zhongliang looked at Chu Mo, his gaze as though he was staring at a rare treasure: "Of those, more than eighty were given away during the founding of our nation, and in recent times, there has not been a recipient in over two centuries! Even Marshal Fang Mingtong, who has coveted it for many years, has yet to receive one, yet this thirteen-year-old child of yours has managed to nab one. When it happens, I must see what expression Marshal Fang Mingtong will have."

However, Chu Mo gave Xu Zhongliang a wry smile, saying, "Grandpa Xu, can you first clarify how you came to know about this? As far as I know... this just happened on the prairie, it shouldn't have spread so quickly, right? Besides... the name Lin Bai... isn't widely known on the prairie, right?"

Chu Mo didn't say it out loud, but those who knew him would certainly not broadcast his name freely. On one hand, they wanted to protect him, while on the other, the person who now needed to establish and propagate her image on the prairie was Nayi!

"Little guy, aren't you underestimating the intelligence capabilities of our Great Xia Kingdom?" Xu Zhongliang smiled like a cunning old fox, squinting his eyes and looking at Chu Mo triumphantly. So, are you finally shocked by something?

Chu Mo couldn't help but give a bitter smile. He hadn't expected the intelligence capability of Great Xia to be so strong. From the looks of it, it's very likely that they've already infiltrated the royal court. Otherwise, it would be almost impossible to get news about 'Lin Bai'.

Fortunately, they didn't know at the very beginning that he was Lin Bai.

Because if Great Xia could know about Lin Bai, wouldn't Great Qi know as well?

Thinking of the Ganba Old Man who caused the demise of Qi Xiaoyu's alter ego... Chu Mo's heart shuddered. Clearly, Great Qi must have known about 'Lin Bai's' actions on the prairie for a long time.

"Grandpa Xu, can we discuss something?" Seeing Xu Zhongliang's delighted face, Chu Mo asked cautiously.

"Hmm? Go ahead." Xu Zhongliang looked at Chu Mo.

"Um... could you keep this matter to yourself for the time being, and not tell anyone else?" Chu Mo scratched his head: "Once it gets out... I'm afraid that a lot of trouble will come my way."

Xu Zhongliang pondered for a moment, then nodded approvingly: "Indeed, you have matured! But you deserve some reward for this. Otherwise, it would be as if the sovereign was going back on his word. I suppose we could do it this way, only a few select people like the emperor and Marshal Fang Mingtong should know. They... wouldn't betray you. However, other people will find it hard to know about your contribution to Great Xia."

Chu Mo simply said: "When I decided to do this, I didn't really think about letting others know."

"That's the spirit!" Xu Zhongliang praised him: "A young man with such breadth of mind, pride, and ability... How can there be any worry that he wouldn't flourish in the future?"

Chu Mo gave a bashful smile. Even though he had known the old man for many years and Xu Zhongliang treated him like his own grandson, it was primarily the affection and care of an elder towards the younger generation.

This was the first time he was praised so profusely.

"The intelligence we received wasn't particularly detailed, just that a young man named Lin Bai upset Great Qi's schemes on the prairie that had been in play for twenty years, all in less than a month. He pulled up all the hidden threads Great Qi had buried in the prairie. He helped the runaway Princess Nayi, defeated the Haoyue Tribe, and stabilized her rule. It is even said that the death of Yin Ge, the second prince of the royal court, could be linked to Lin Bai..." Xu Zhongliang looked at Chu Mo: "Tell me the details... about exactly what happened. Then, I will go to see the sovereign in the palace this afternoon."

"If Great Xia's intelligence capabilities are so formidable, then the trouble I caused yesterday?" Chu Mo's mouth twitched slightly as he looked at Xu Zhongliang: "There should be no problems, right?"

Xu Zhongliang looked at Chu Mo with a somewhat curious glance: "If the victim doesn't pursue it, who else would? It might be a bit tricky with Zhang Chong... that person is not broad-minded."

The prime minister of the current dynasty, blatantly said in front of Chu Mo that a provincial governor is not broad-minded, truly treating Chu Mo as one of their own.

This relationship... is certainly not just as simple as the affection between an elder and a younger generation!

He would never say the same in front of Xu Fufu.

"That issue is not a big deal." Chu Mo gave a smile: "His son was tricked by Xia Jie, carrying a forged letter, bearing a fake seal, leading a group of fake royal guards to trouble me. In the end, he was nearly shot to death by the guards of the Prince's Mansion who intended to frame me. However, I saved him. As a result, the family of the Governor of Qingzhou owes me a great debt! I won't hold them accountable, but they dare to come after me?"

Xu Zhongliang looked at Chu Mo dumbfounded. As the current prime minister, he was not a dullard; he practically figured out the cause of the whole incident in a blink of an eye. He then sighed with a wry smile: "Every new generation surpasses the last... It's really something! Your mind... is incredibly sharp!"

Having said that, Xu Zhongliang himself laughed: "It comes down to the final arrow. If it weren't for that, you torturing the son of the Zhang family to a point of humiliation would have rightfully earned Zhang Chong's hatred. But with that arrow, what you did was immediately forgiven. Ah, I do envy Senior General Fan... to have such a fine grandson like you."

With that, Xu Zhongliang looked up at Chu Mo with a benevolent smile: "Fufu being able to become your brother, it's truly a fortunate thing!"

Chu Mo gave a small laugh: "It's my luck as well."

"Once brothers, always brothers!" Xu Zhongliang stated, and then asked: "Tell me about the situation on the Prairie."

Chu Mo recounted his experiences on the Prairie, excluding those related to the immortal mansion and Qi Xiaoyu, to Xu Zhongliang.

"Yin Ge was indeed killed by you, well done! Such a beast deserved to be killed!" exclaimed Xu Zhongliang, full of admiration after hearing the story. "A nation is strong when its young people are strong. If all the youths of Great Xia were like you...how wonderful that would be!"

"But I'm also quite outstanding, Grandfather!" said Xu Erfu, who had just walked in the room and heard the last part. He widened his eyes and responded with a narcissistic look on his face.

"If you devoted to serious matters the same attention you give to girls, you could also be considered outstanding," Xu Zhongliang retorted, glaring at Xu Fufu.

Xu Fufu shrank and looked at Chu Mo with a bit of resentment, thinking to himself: Chu Xiao Hei, what kind of godforsaken things did you do on the Prairie to make my grandfather so happy? It got me scolded again!

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed that day's lunch, even Xu Erfu who had been scolded.

At the table, Chu Mo carefully told Xu Zhongliang that the Gluttonous Pavilion was a venture that Xu Erfu and he had put together, because Chu Mo knew that they couldn't keep this secret for long.

Xu Zhongliang responded nonchalantly: I knew about this a long time ago! You two did a good job!

Xu Erfu was almost moved to tears, finally, one of his actions earned his grandfather's approval.

However, the old man still warned them to keep a low profile. Even if everyone already knew that the Gluttonous Pavilion was theirs, they should not flaunt it.

Chu Mo and Xu Fufu were well aware of this. They wouldn't be so foolish as to give others a reason to target them.

After lunch, Xu Zhongliang rushed off to the palace. He had to inform the emperor that Chu Mo was indeed Lin Bai, as this was great news.

The possible war to come was not discussed between Chu Mo and Xu Zhongliang, as there was no point dwelling on it. Since Great Qi's century-long plan had been disrupted, a new plan to handle the Prairie had to be formulated.

However, a showdown between Great Qi and Great Xia was inevitable after years of mounting tension.

Amid the current wave of rage following their defeat in Prairie, the Great Qi Army had already started preparing for the impending war.

Xu Zhongliang wouldn't have mentioned anything if Chu Mo didn't understand these realities. Now that Chu Mo did, there was no need to say more.

The Prime Minister left and Xu Fufu missed the chance to inquire about Chu Mo's exploits on the Prairie because word came that the governor of Qingzhou had sent for someone.

"They have the audacity to ask for someone?" Xu Fufu looked at Chu Mo, his fury unabated. "They have some nerve!"

Chu Mo chuckled, "Probably the governor of Qingzhou is still not clear about what's happening."

"The Xu Family will make him understand!" Xu Fufu glanced at Chu Mo. "Leave this matter to me! I guarantee that the governor of Qingzhou will be grateful to us. And if we can cause even a slight rift between him and that old bastard Xia Jing, that'd be a bonus."

Chu Mo looked at Xu Fufu and smiled, "Feeling provoked?" Usually Xu Fufu wouldn't personally handle such matters.

In the past, Xu Fufu wouldn't have paid any mind unless the Governor himself had come. The thought of him personally intervening was simply unthinkable!

The illustrious young master of the Xu Family...wasn't someone to be beseeched for every small matter. Even if it was the son of a governor, in Xu Fufu's eyes, he was merely ordinary.

Xu Fufu fell silent for a moment, then looked at Chu Mo and said seriously, "I don't want to fall too far behind my own brother." Today's events had awakened him to the fact that his childhood friend and 'brother' had changed far more than he had initially thought.

For the first time in all these years, he saw his grandfather inviting Chu Mo for lunch personally; praising Chu Mo unabashedly; and for the first time, offering a toast to a junior at the dinner table.

Do you understand what it means for a prime minister who holds sway over an entire kingdom to offer a toast...? Just because he's fond of a junior?

That's ridiculous!

Chu Mo looked at Xu Fufu's serious expression and couldn't help but tease him, "Don't feel down. When it comes to flirting with girls, you've been outdoing me by miles!"

"Get lost!" Xu Fufu rolled his eyes and ordered someone to prepare the carriage. He wished to personally meet the envoy sent by the Qingzhou governor. "You want to take someone from me, the master of the Xu Family? Better be prepared to pay a heavy price!"

Chu Mo also left the Xu Residence and casually strolled in the direction of the Prince's Mansion.