"That is correct."
Su Mo nodded and walked out with Ruan Mei and Jibril.
"And this must be Ms. Ruan Mei of the Genius Society? A pleasure to meet you!"
Fu Xuan was clearly much more familiar with Ruan Mei.
The two confirmed their identities and nodded in greeting.
It was only then that Tingyun realized Su Mo's true identity.
A genius who had refused the invitation of the Genius Society, with a status equal to that of an Emanator of Erudition. Add to that Ruan Mei, and Jibril, who possessed Emanator-level combat power...
The group of three before her were practically three Emanator-level existences.
Throughout the entire galaxy, these were the individuals with the highest status below the Aeons, and she had actually met three of them at once.
"Is my luck really this good? To meet so many big shots at once!"
Tingyun patted her chest, feeling a bit surreal.
Hearing this, Fu Xuan glanced at the foxian girl.
"Pǐ zhī fěi rén, bù lì jūnzǐ zhēn, dà wǎng xiǎo lái." [T/N: A line from the I Ching, hexagram 12, Pǐ (Stagnation). It roughly translates to "Stagnation is not human; it does not favor the perseverance of a noble person. The great departs, the small arrives." It signifies a period of misfortune followed by a turn for the better.]
"Your luck is indeed very good. According to the divination, if you hadn't met Mr. Su Mo, you might have already perished, or perhaps you would be stranded on some desolate star off its orbit."
"Fortunately, after extreme adversity comes prosperity. Mr. Su Mo's existence has changed your divination, allowing you to seize the last sliver of life from a situation of certain death."
She couldn't divine Su Mo's fate, but she could divine Tingyun's.
It was for this reason that she was able to foresee the possibility of Su Mo's arrival in advance, report it to Jing Yuan, and lead the Cloud Knights to wait here.
Now it seemed her calculations were indeed correct.
Of course, this was on the premise that Su Mo didn't deliberately change his route, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to detect anything.
"Certain death?"
Hearing this, Tingyun immediately thought of Jingliu's previous sword strike and nodded with lingering fear.
"Yes, it's all thanks to my benefactor! Only because of him can this humble girl stand here safe and sound. I can never repay such great kindness. I only hope my benefactor will accept my future repayment. As a guide, this humble girl is still competent."
She didn't realize that the "certain death" Fu Xuan spoke of had other possibilities.
For example, a certain Lord Ravager named Phantylia who had not yet captured a suitable substitute...
"Alright."
Su Mo nodded, not refusing.
"Then this humble girl will not delay your important business and will take my leave?"
Tingyun peeked at Jingliu, who was not far behind.
After thinking about it, she decided to slip away first.
Having lived in the Xianzhou for a long time, she understood very well that the status of three Emanators, while still extremely noble, was not enough for the Xianzhou to put on such a grand welcoming ceremony.
If it weren't for an Emanator-level existence closely related to the Xianzhou, or an existence involved in a major event concerning the Xianzhou, even if Diamond, the Emanator of Preservation from the Interastral Peace Corporation, came in person, the Luofu might not put on such a lineup.
And now, since this lineup had been set up, and it was even the intention of the General and even the Marshal...
This meant that the matter these big shots were about to discuss was definitely a major event concerning the life and death of the Xianzhou. It was better for a small character like her not to get involved in such a serious occasion.
As for Miss Jingliu, since Su Mo was confident in protecting her, she could only wish her well.
It was better for a weak and pitiful little fox like her not to get involved in such a major event.
"Then you can leave first. Remember, you are not to speak of what happened just now."
Fu Xuan had no intention of keeping Tingyun.
After glancing at the dilemma-stricken Jingliu, her third eye moved slightly. Accompanied by the familiar pain, she quickly understood the other party's identity.
After Tingyun showed a troubled expression and Jingliu also displayed a defensive posture, the pink-haired girl in white stockings snorted lightly.
"Jingliu of the High-Cloud Quintet... Since we have Mr. Su Mo's guarantee, it's naturally fine. However, before we achieve any results, the matter concerning her is also forbidden from being spread!"
"If any similar rumors leak out, Tingyun, I will hold you responsible!"
"..."
Hearing Fu Xuan's unreasonable words, Tingyun's face became bitter, feeling extremely wronged.
Why can't I escape this blame?!
If Jingliu and Su Mo themselves spread it, would that also be my fault?
"Yes! Lady Fu Xuan!"
No matter how wronged she felt, she could only accept it with a bitter face.
And before leaving, she looked at Su Mo and Fu Xuan, who were in secret talks, and a great deal of curiosity unconsciously arose in her eyes.
What on earth was so important that it was worthy of Fu Xuan personally welcoming them and Jing Yuan personally waiting?
And what kind of result was worthy of the Master Diviner, who most advocated for impartiality within the law, to turn a blind eye to a Mara-Struck?
What unspeakable secret was hidden here?
As her thoughts ran wild, it wasn't until Fu Xuan shot a warning glance at her that Tingyun's fur stood on end, and she quickly left.
Lady Fu Xuan is so scary!
---||---
And after Tingyun left.
Seeing that Fu Xuan and the surrounding Cloud Knights were indifferent to her, even Jingliu couldn't help but feel extremely curious.
She believed that the Master Diviner had already recognized her identity and seen her condition.
A sinner like her, it wouldn't be strange to be sent directly to the Shackling Prison. But the other party actually let her go just because of a word from Su Mo?
What was going on?
She, who knew the Luofu very well, didn't think her disciple, Jing Yuan, was someone who would bend the law for personal gain.
What kind of change had happened to the Xianzhou... would it affect their plans?
Thinking of this, Jingliu took a step forward, wanting to hear clearly.
Neither Su Mo nor Fu Xuan had any intention of stopping her.
Then, she quickly heard the reason.
"Marshal Hua asked me to thank you for your help on behalf of the Xianzhou."
"If Mr. Su Mo is really willing to start the project and research to cure the Mara-Struck, regardless of the research results, the Xianzhou Alliance will treat you as our highest-level ally... No matter what difficulties you encounter, you can summon our Cloud Knight army through the Xianzhou Jade Abacus. Under the arrows of the Hunt, we will not mistreat any of our allies."
Fu Xuan, with the physique of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, made this promise in an extremely serious tone.
This was the first genius the Xianzhou Alliance had encountered who was interested in curing the Mara-Struck.
If Su Mo really intended to start this project, even if he didn't achieve any results, the Xianzhou was willing to offer its greatest sincerity and give Su Mo an Alliance Jade Abacus.
It had to be said, the Xianzhou's attitude was incredibly generous.
However, what was even more incredible to Jingliu, who heard these words, than the Xianzhou's generosity was the content of the project Fu Xuan mentioned.
"What? Cure the Mara-Struck?!"
How is that possible!
The Mara-Struck is not a disease. It's a side effect of longevity. It's impossible to eradicate!
Seeing her agitated attitude, Fu Xuan looked at Su Mo with some confusion.
"Your Excellency Su Mo, she didn't know?"
She had thought Jingliu was an experimental subject Su Mo had prepared!
"Don't worry, she knows now."
As he spoke, Su Mo turned to look at Jingliu.
"If you really want to atone for your sins, compared to carrying out your original plan, isn't curing the Mara-Struck a more worthy goal to strive for?"
Hearing this, Jingliu's pupils shrank.
"You know my plan?"
"Of course." Su Mo nodded. "To make an enemy of an Aeon, your preparations are not quite sufficient."
This sentence was basically a clear hint.
"..."
Jingliu fell silent for a moment. After dozens of seconds, she finally spoke.
"The Mara-Struck is a gift from the Aeon of Abundance. To eliminate the Mara-Struck is equivalent to eliminating longevity itself. This is impossible!"
Hearing this, Fu Xuan, who was beside her, raised her chin slightly and crossed her arms.
"With the limitations of a mortal, one would naturally come to such a conclusion. To be honest, when I used Ms. Ruan Mei as the core for my deduction, I also couldn't find any hope of curing the Mara-Struck."
With the wisdom of the Xianzhou, it was naturally impossible for them to be overjoyed just because Su Mo proposed a project, even alarming the Marshal.
The weight of a genius was heavy, but for the Xianzhou, it was not that heavy.
Not to mention, genius only represents talent, not character. There were plenty of geniuses in the Genius Society who liked to swindle research funds.
So, before finalizing the project and reporting it to the Marshal, several Master Diviners of the Xianzhou had jointly conducted a deduction and predicted the outcome.
Unsurprisingly, a research team with Ruan Mei as the core could not solve an Aeon-level problem.
The Mara-Struck of the Xianzhou people was a side effect of the Abundance's blessing. Strictly speaking, it was a debuff that came with the Path of Abundance.
This phenomenon existed among all the Denizens of Abundance. In fact, among all the side effects, the Mara-Struck was one of the mildest.
The Plagues Author had indeed given the best things to the Xianzhou.
Such an Aeon-level problem was naturally not something that one or two geniuses could shake.
"However, when I changed the subject of the deduction to His Excellency Su Mo, everything changed."
As she spoke, Fu Xuan's delicate and pretty little face was filled with genuine shock.
"That was a hexagram I had never seen before, and a future I had never seen before."
"Although I don't know how it's done... if it's him, it's really possible to accomplish the impossible feat, to truly cure the Mara-Struck."
It was precisely because they saw the hope of success that Su Mo's project could shock the supreme commander of the Xianzhou Alliance and receive such high-level reception.