Pursuit of the Truth 170 Si Ma Xin!

There was something out of ordinary about that Qiao Song.
Su Ming walked out of the mountain cave hidden in the walls of the valley. When he turned back and looked, he found that it was indeed difficult to discover the place. Even if it was him, if he did not pay too much attention to it, he would still find it hard to discover anything wrong with the wall.
If he did not activate the Branding Art and used his naked eye to look at it, everything would seem normal. Only with the Brand could he see the dim light flashing on the wall within his mind’s eye.
He averted his gaze.
Su Ming did not continue wearing the mask. He used the black robe to cover his head and walked out of the valley unhurriedly. As he walked through the formerly hidden grounds of Han Mountain, he saw people who came searching for treasures like Qiao Da. These people would usually just cast one glance at him before turning away and not sparing him an extra glance.
No one knew that the Mo Su, who had disappeared for several months, walked out of the canyons during dusk.
Neither did anyone know that the mysterious Berserker who had attained completion in the Blood Solidification Realm and caused the change in the heavens and earth by making the deity statue of Awakening appear was walking out of the canyons.
Everything was as usual during this day. Han Mountain City was bright with fire from lamps. As the day when Freezing Sky Clan would arrive approached, the city became livelier than before. The three mountains of the three tribes around Han Mountain City were enveloped in silence.
The three tribes had closed off their mountains and refused all visitors. Even if the person visiting was in the Awakening Realm, they still had to turn back before middle-sized tribes like the three tribes.
The sun at dusk was red, yet it was not a burning shade of red. It was simply the red belonging to the sun before it died for the day. The land was dyed in the colors of dusk, a shade that was going to turn dark soon.
When dusk gradually left and the sun could no longer be seen by those who stood at the foot of the mountains, Tranquil East Tribe welcomed its first guest since a long time.
Su Ming placed the mask on his face once more and stood at the foot of Tranquil East Mountain. His black robes rustled in the wind as he stood there and stared silently ahead.
This was the second time he stood at this place. Compared to the first time, besides the difference in time, he also felt like a completely different man.
The last time he was here, Su Ming had to present himself as if he had Awakened. This time, he did not need to. No one could ignore him as he stood there. His presence could not be felt clearly by those in the Blood Solidification Realm. Only those in the Awakening Realm could clearly feel the pressure formed by those who attained completion in the Blood Solidification Realm coming from Su Ming.
Su Ming walked calmly towards the stairs leading up the mountain. The instant his foot landed on the steps, a great pressure appeared. This was the power protecting the mountain that prevented all outsiders from entering since Tranquil East Tribe had decided to close off the mountain.
Su Ming had come into contact with this power before, and it no longer caused any effect on him even as he experienced it once more.
If he wanted to, he could completely ignore the existence of the pressure.
"I, Mo Su, greet the tribe leader of Tranquil East," Su Ming’s calm voice traveled out languidly. This time, he did not infuse any Qi in his voice to cause his voice to echo in the air.
As of now, he was just speaking calmly, and his voice naturally reverberated through the mountain of Tranquil East Tribe.
As Su Ming’s voice traveled outwards, the quiet mountain of Tranquil East Tribe seemed to be jolted awake from its slumber. The pressure protecting the mountain disappeared in an instant. At the same time, a few long arcs could be seen whistling through the air towards him from the top of the mountain.
Many tribe members from Tranquil East also quickly rushed down the mountain as if they had received an order. All of them stood by the side with respectful faces, forming a path to welcome him up the stairs.
There were seven to eight people in the long arcs. The leader of them was the tribe leader of Tranquil East, Fang Shen. Those who followed behind him were all his trusted followers and the Tranquil East’s Chief of War.
These people rushed over and appeared before Su Ming.
"Kindred Mo, I’ve been waiting for you for months. This way, please!"
Fang Shen first sized up Su Ming, and very soon, joy appeared on his face. He laughed out boisterously and wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming. He seemed calm, but when he first cast a glance at Su Ming, he felt his heart shake.
The feeling he obtained from Mo Su now was completely different from when he had first met him. He could initially find some clues from Mo Su regarding his power, and it was due to them that he wanted to test him, being uncertain of his power.
Yet now, Mo Su was like an abyss before his eyes. He could not see through his power clearly, and neither could he get a gasp. If he tried to take a closer look, his Qi would start showing signs of being unstable, and it shocked Fang Shen.
When he remembered the rumors regarding Mo Su, and even though some of them were leaked by Tranquil East Tribe themselves, most of the them were still regarded with high importance by Tranquil East Tribe.
"You killed Yan Guang, forced Han Fei Zi to withdraw, earned Nan Tian’s respect, and suppressed Xuan Lun… Kindred Mo, your name is well-known all over Han Mountain now! Kindred Mo, this way, let’s talk on the mountain."
Fang Shen’s smile grew wider.
Besides Fang Shen, the Chief of War who came along was also similarly shocked. The short man had already Awakened, hence the moment he saw Su Ming, his expression immediately changed. His footsteps faltered for an unnoticeable moment and he widened his eyes.
Not being able to feel the blood veins in Su Ming’s body was nothing compared to the indescribable pressure he felt from the other’s body. The pressure that had not existed when he first met Su Ming.
"Kindred Mo, your return is a great event for Tranquil East! This way!"
The Chief of War took a deep breath. His attitude immediately changed from how he had acted initially and with a smile, he wrapped his fist in his palm to greet Su Ming.
"There’s no need to go up the mountain."
Su Ming wrapped his fist in his palm to return the greeting towards Fang Shen and the Chief of War as he spoke calmly.
"I came here to return the guest plate and to ask of three things from you, brother Fang,"
When Fang Shen heard Su Ming’s words, a serious expression appeared on his face.
"Brother Mo, you don’t need to be in a hurry to forfeit the status of a guest. If you have anything to say, you can speak without worry."
"Thank you!"
Su Ming nodded. He did not mention the dangers he faced under Han Mountain. He had asked to enter the place himself; it had nothing to do with other people.
"One, due to the change in Han Mountain, I did not manage to find Sky Flute Branch, but I believe you should have found some. If you give those herbs to me, I will heal Fang Mu’s injuries as quickly as possible once I’ve made all preparations."
Fang Shen did not hesitate and nodded towards Su Ming.
"I’ve found Sky Flute Branch. They were originally prepared for brother Mo to begin with. I’ll have to trouble you about my son. I’ll ask people to send it over now. Brother Mo, please talk about your other two requests."
As Fang Shen spoke, he turned around and cast a look at one of his tribe members who followed him. That tribe member immediately obeyed and quickly left for the top of the mountain.
"Two, I would like to take a look at the map of the Land of South Morning in your tribe," Su Ming said unhurriedly.
Fang Shen fell silent and did not immediately answer. There was a frown on his face. After a long while, he hesitated before looking at Su Ming.
"Brother Mo, maps are very important to all tribes. A single map is usually the product of the blood, sweat, and tears of multiple generations of the tribe, drawn little by little through a long period of time.
"I’ll have to talk to the Elder about this."
Su Ming did not speak. He simply looked at Fang Shen calmly. His eyes were still, showing no signs of any spikes of emotions. He looked at Fang Shen quietly. That gaze may not have held any deeper meaning, but Fang Shen did not become the tribe leader of Tranquil East by acting as straightforward as his appearance would suggest.
Su Ming had been planting hooks ever since he came into contact with Fang Mu. Besides being rather fond of Fang Mu, he mainly did so to come in contact with Tranquil East Tribe with the intention of blending into Han Mountain City, but the source of it all was still for that map!
Su Ming did not use Fang Mu’s injuries to force Fang Shen into agreeing to his request. Fang Shen knew about it, and that was also precisely why there were certain things he could not refuse.
Reciprocating good-will was the most important principle for a person to get along with others. Su Ming healed Fang Mu, and Fang Shen gathered herbs for Su Ming. It might sound like a trade, but deep down, Su Ming was really doing a favor for Fang Shen.
Fang Shen knew that he owed Su Ming a favor. He also knew that the reasons why Mo Su brought up the second request were for him to return the favor and because he was confident he could completely cure Fang Mu.
"Alright, I won’t say more. Even if the Elder doesn’t agree to it, I will still bring the map to you!" Fang Shen suddenly said.
"Thank you!" Su Ming wrapped his fist in his palm to show gratitude towards Fang Shen. When he lifted his head, he spoke unhurriedly. "Three, I would like to see Han Cang Zi."
"I can promise you the first two things, but as for the third, I cannot decide on my own, but I will tell my sister and let her decide," Fang Shen said languidly as he looked at Su Ming .
"Of course."
No one could see Su Ming’s expression due to the mask on his face. They could only see that his eyes remained still and calm as water throughout the exchange.
He brought out the guest plate from Tranquil East and handed it to Fang Shen. Once he did so, Su Ming nodded towards the Chief of War standing nearby and walked down the stairs before he sat down cross-legged and waited silently.
Fang Shen briefly hesitated before he asked, "How long will it take before you can heal my son? And… how can I find you?"
"In three months. As for the method to find me… even if you can’t find me, Han Cang Zi will be able to," Su Ming stated softly.
"Oh?" A sparkle appeared in Fang Shen’s eyes, and he smiled as he wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming. "Brother Mo, since you’re confident in it, then I will take my leave."
As he spoke, he turned around and led his followers back to the top of the mountain.
The Chief of War took a glance at Su Ming and hesitated briefly. Once everyone had left, he still remained silent for a moment before turning around to leave as well.
"Sir, if you have something to say, please do so."
Su Ming opened his eyes and looked at the Chief of War.
"Brother Mo, do you know Si Ma Xin?"
"Si Ma Xin? Who is that?"
Su Ming shook his head.
The Chief of War let out a light sigh and a hint of disappointment appeared briefly in his eyes.
"This person is… very similar to you… Brother Mo, if you have the change to meet this person in the future, please tell him that Bei Xi from Tranquil East Tribe has Awakened and thus am paying my respects to him. Thank you."
The Chief of War bowed towards Su Ming and left. His back gave off a rather desolate air as he slowly disappeared from Su Ming’s sights.
‘Si Ma Xin… is very similar to me?’
Su Ming frowned.
He did not wait long. Someone came from the summit of Tranquil East Tribe. The person was a middle-aged man. He had a respectful expression on his face as he placed two embroidered boxes before Su Ming, then he bowed and left.
There was a hint of longing that was hidden deep within Su Ming’s eyes. He lowered his head to look at the two embroidered boxes. He knew that one of them contained a map!