Chapter 153 - Master!? (2/2)
“Your Highness.”
“Your Highness.”
…
The elders that were gathered together all bowed simultaneously to show their respects to Su Mo.
“Your Highness.”
For the two great guardians of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, Wan Tao and Yu Wei, they were both elders to Su Mo. However, respect for status did not supersede age in such public settings, and they both bowed towards Su Mo as well.
Under normal circumstances, Su Mo would bow in return to Wang Tao and Yu Wei. However, Su Mo presently stood where he was and did not even cast a glance at Wang Tao and Yu Wei. His gaze was fixated unwaveringly on the young man dressed in white, standing a short distance away.
All along, due to that Mid-Connate elixir, which had shocking, medicinal-like effects, Su Mo’s personal development and training had been accelerated greatly and he was now extremely close to becoming a mid Connate adept. Under normal circumstances, he of course would not have any intention to pause his training mid-way. Even as the Valley of the Medicine Masters’s elders had sought him out, seeing as the latter had not seemed urgent nor anxious, Su Mo had still held on to the idea of continuing his training. It was only when his master, the head elder of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, Yu Meiqin, had come forward and charged through his doorway that he had paused his training efforts.
After understanding the happenings at the martial arts field, Su Mo immediately guessed that the person who had carried out the attacks at the field was definitely this young man… the white shirt, the sword pills… they were all symbols of him.
He did not even have time to explain his predictions to Yu Meiqin. Su Mo immediately got onto the back of Yu Meiqin’s flying beast and headed for the martial arts field.
“Your Highness.”
Chen Dandan took two, three steps forward and knelt before Su Mo, sobbing hysterically with tears running down her cheeks. “My father, Chen Tianhe, as the Valley of the Medicine Masters’s second elder, had made countless contributions and sacrifices for the valley while he was alive.
“In spite of that, today, he was killed by the person who invaded our valley!
“Please bring justice for my father, Your Highness!”
Although Chen Dandan had no confidence that this method was viable, she had little choice. Just as what the young man had said, the Valley Head before her was now the last hope that she could hold onto.
On the other hand, Su Mo ignored Chen Dandan as if she did not exist. He took two steps forward, past Chen Dandan and knelt down towards the young man standing before him. The entire group of people from the Valley of the Medicine Masters looked on in confusion, shock and disbelief.
“I’m Su Mo, Master.”
Su Mo’s voice was extremely courteous and bright. In an instant, his words reverberated around the entire martial arts field and even beyond to the Valley of the Medicine Masters’ hills. With such an echo, all the people present suddenly gained some insight. The entire field went deathly quiet, and one could even hear a pin drop.
This was especially so for the group of elders as well as the Valley of the Medicine Masters head elder, Yu Meiqin, the valley’s left guardian Wang Tao and right guardian Yu Wei. They all let out expressions of disbelief as they glanced at Su Mo, who was still kneeling on the floor. If they did not have a good enough understanding of Su Mo, they would even have suspected that he was a fake and not the real Su Mo!
“Is that… really Your Highness speaking?”
“Your Highness called the young man ‘Master?’ Is this a joke?”
“Is that really Your Highness? Our mighty and glorious Your Highness is kneeling and calling someone else master? Am I dreaming?”
…
Now, everyone present at the field, including the common people, were completely stunned into silence. They could not believe the sight before them nor what they had just heard coming from Su Mo’s mouth.
Was this all a joke?
Su Mo, ruler of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, was the first in status out of the Sixteen Countries of the Eastern Valley. As for this young man, he was merely someone from the country of Yunyang. How could he possibly be the master of Your Highness, Su Mo!?
“This… this is impossible!”
Chen Dandan was shocked into a daze by Su Mo. Now that she had regained her composure, her face had on an expression of full disbelief. “How can this be possible? This is impossible!”
Chen Dandan righted herself, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. In a fit of delusion and confusion, she reached out a hand and pointed to Su Mo’s back. “You can’t be Your Highness! You’re not him!”
“Chen Dandan, stop being presumptuous!”
Seeing Chen Dandan’s actions, Yu Meiqin’s face changed, and she called out coldly. Although Yu Meiqin herself was still unsure as to why Su Mo, their ruler, had called out to the young man as his master, she would not permit someone of lowly status, such as Disciple Chen Dandan, to call Su Mo out in a rude manner.
Upon hearing Yu Meiqin’s cold voice, Chen Dandan’s final hope in her heart was thoroughly demolished. She collapsed onto the ground in a heap, as if all her energy had been depleted, her face as white as paper.
“Chen Dandan, everyone has to bear the consequences of whatever decisions they make. I only hope you do not regret your choices in the future.”
The words that the young man had uttered to her two years ago when Chen Dandan had left the Magnolia Chamber of Commerce now floated in her mind. At that point, she had ignored the words of this young man and moved on. This was especially after she had entered the Valley of the Medicine Masters and recognized the second elder, Chen Tianhe, as her father. She had then felt even more strongly that the young man was on a different wavelength as her.
“That young man is destined to be crushed under my feet,” she had thought.
As for now…
The young man that she had always looked down on was now standing before her proudly, as arrogant as ever. As for Su Mo, Your Highness of the Valley of the Medicine Masters and someone she both feared and admired was now kneeling before this very young man, calling him “‘Master…”