Chapter 211 - 208: Mo Family Hall and the Ignored People

Chapter 211: Chapter 208: Mo Family Hall and the Ignored People

In Kyoto, a traditional three-courtyard home under Sun Tian’s name had become a private venue for the siblings, Mo Shaoge and Mo Qingxue. It was also the location of Dawn’s Kyoto Secret Realm Array.

Of course, this wasn’t some priceless courtyard home in a prime location, but a self-built, antique-style house on the city’s outskirts.

The property was surrounded by a large plot of land. It was originally intended for a special hotel project Sun Tian’s father had planned in his younger days. The project was later shelved, and the property was gifted to Sun Tian. Back then, the price wasn’t nearly as outrageous as it would be today.

Sun Tian would occasionally bring his family to stay, but he had never repurposed the land for new development.

In their parents’ eyes, Mo Shaoge and Mo Qingxue, two children who they felt weren’t engaged in proper business, had finally stopped running off into the remote mountains every other day.

Although preparing to open a Martial Arts Hall focused on combat techniques still didn’t quite count as a proper career, it was said to be quite promising. Besides, the two had genuine skills; they weren’t just ambitious dreamers with no ability.

The siblings even began studying diligently day and night for this new Martial Arts Hall.

Their studies included not only technical material but also books on communication and business management.

Old Mo swore that not since middle school—no, not since the *start* of middle school—had his two children ever shown this much enthusiasm for their studies.

He wasn’t sure how profitable the venture would be, but it was, at the very least, a beneficial experience. Besides, their family wasn’t short on money, and it was a good way to temper their personalities.

And as for why it was promising—an investment group had already taken an interest in the siblings’ yet-to-be-opened hall, with funding already set aside.

Compared to their parents’ reserved relief, the Mo Family’s patriarch, Elder Mo Zhongtian, was absolutely ecstatic.

His grandson and granddaughter had finally come to their senses. He had five sons and four daughters, but of all his grandchildren, none had stuck with the training past the initial novelty of learning a few basic stances.

He had taken on a few personal disciples in the past, but tragically, one died in a car accident, two disappeared without a trace after going abroad years ago, and the rest had all abandoned their training.

The Elder understood that in modern society, the techniques passed down from his school had no practical use. Many weren’t flashy enough for public performance, and most of the associated weapons were now classified as restricted items.

At the end of the day, reality wasn’t a wuxia novel; real Martial Arts weren’t all that appealing to most people.

But if the art were to die with him, how could he do right by his lineage? This had become a constant sorrow in his later years.

Only his fourth son’s children, Mo Shaoge and Mo Qingxue, showed any real enthusiasm. They were a bit wild, but perhaps because of that, they had learned a great deal. Combined with their natural talent, they had reached a respectable level of skill.

But the chances of them promoting the art or passing it down to the next generation seemed slim.

’Who knew they’d be such late bloomers? Well, your twenties isn’t that late, I suppose.’

In any case, when news of the Martial Arts Hall reached him, the Elder was overjoyed for days. After confirming the two juniors were serious and not just playing around, he personally showed up at their door, ready to offer his three million in pension funds to support them.

However, Mo Shaoge and Mo Qingxue weren’t short on sponsors, so they certainly didn’t dare take their grandfather’s money.

As for the name, it was Mo Shaoge’s idea. According to Master Sage’s plan, the Martial Arts Hall would not be limited to simple, traditional martial arts, nor would it only teach or be a place for exchanging them. The "technique" aspect of its name implied more than just martial skills.

It was foreseeable that as the situation developed, even if the government managed to keep the public stable, more perceptive individuals would inevitably feel an increasing lack of security.

As long as the Martial Arts Hall could gradually build a reputation, business was bound to flourish. And unlike ordinary martial arts schools where students chose the school, the Mo Family’s would be different—the hall would choose the students.

Mo Shaoge had been quite surprised when he first heard this requirement from Master Sage. ’After all,’ he’d thought, ’the hall isn’t Dawn’s main headquarters. We could always use a multi-layered screening process and give special instruction to a select few.’

’Doing this might limit our student pool and stifle our own growth.’

But Master Sage’s words at the time were:

"Shaoge, you must have this confidence and vision. Dawn has always prioritized quality over quantity. And I believe that in the near future, a long line will be queuing up at the hall’s entrance."

When the Mo siblings told Elder Mo about their plan to have the hall select its students—an idea that ran counter to modern business philosophy—the old man cheered repeatedly. In his excitement, he once again offered up his three million in pension funds.

If he weren’t so advanced in age, he might have wanted to step in and teach the students himself.

But opening a hall and accepting students wasn’t a simple matter. They had to find a location and deal with mountains of tedious paperwork. Fortunately, the Sun Clan’s financial department helped handle it all. Otherwise, if Mo Shaoge and Mo Qingxue had tried to do it themselves, they would have been met with nothing but frustration and setbacks.

This evening, Mo Qingxue had already returned home, while Mo Shaoge remained in the courtyard, studying the staff-fighting style used by Monkey.

Although Elder Mo knew some Martial Arts involving the staff, he wasn’t an expert, and Mo Shaoge knew even less. What he knew was enough for the basics, but as Monkey’s current martial techniques instructor, he was taking the role very seriously, whether Monkey appreciated it or not.

Just then, the Technique Array in the center of the courtyard glowed with an inconspicuous light. Before Mo Shaoge could even react, Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou stepped out from a mirror-like portal that had materialized in front of the array.

To avoid unnecessary complications, Qin Xiaoxia had recently changed the old Dawn custom where only formally initiated members could use the title "Sage," now allowing all members of the organization to address him as such.

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t even the rule in ancient times. It was more of a security precaution, ensuring that only formally initiated members knew the identity of the Scepter’s wielder.

That was no longer a concern.

Mo Shaoge scrambled to his feet from his cross-legged position.

"Master Sage! Master Doudou!"

Before Qin Xiaoxia could speak, Doudou, draped in a black, full-body cloak, gave a wave. Being called "Master Doudou," he adopted the dignified air befitting a "Master."

"Hmph. You’re not bad. Still working hard this late."

Qin Xiaoxia nodded at him, his gaze falling upon the drawings spread across the floor. They were covered in hand-drawn diagrams of staff-wielding techniques.

"We have business in Russia with the Hua Country government."

’It’s so late, I thought this place would be empty. I didn’t expect to run into Mo Shaoge.’ Since he was here, Qin Xiaoxia figured he might as well bring him along to let him gain some experience.

"If you’re not busy, come with us."

There was only one possible answer. Mo Shaoge was in the throes of his initial excitement with Dawn, much like Su Su had been at first. He wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to witness a major event for anything.

He quickly sent a message to Mo Qingxue, then ducked into one of the side rooms to retrieve his own black, hooded robe and cloak.

Unlike the convenience enjoyed by Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou, Huang Jiutian had to take a plane like a regular person, even with a Secret Realm Array in Kyoto, so as not to blow his cover.

「Around three in the morning」

On a deserted, quiet tarmac on the west side of the international airport, a private jet, having long completed its pre-flight checks, stood waiting.

Tao Xingzhi, Xiaoliu, and a dozen other elites from the Special Security Team had already been there for about half an hour.

Among them were three Evolvers. In addition to two who had been identified from the massive pool of military personnel, there was also Lü Bing. He had fallen into a coma with a high fever for seventy-two hours straight, and upon waking, he began to show signs of evolution.

Besides them, there were another six Evolvers at the Special Security Team Headquarters, drawn from various military units and the civilian populace.

Xiaoliu glanced at his watch.

"Chief, Jiutian’s plane just landed. He’ll be joining us shortly. But there’s still no sign of the people from Dawn. We haven’t spotted any suspicious individuals at any of the airport entrances, and what’s more, they probably don’t even know our plane is parked here."

Tao Xingzhi, a cigarette dangling from his lips, exhaled a long stream of smoke.

"Let’s just wait and see. Since they haven’t asked, they must be confident they know where to find us."

Another seven or eight minutes passed before an airport ground vehicle arrived, carrying Huang Jiutian.

After a brief exchange of greetings and a quick report, the Special Security Team’s members were all present.

Just as Tao Xingzhi checked his watch again, about to say something to his team, a calm, ageless voice suddenly spoke up right beside them.

"I believe your people are all here now. Shall we depart?"

The voice was startlingly sudden, as if whispered right in their ears.

Over a dozen pairs of eyes snapped to the side, only to find three mysterious, hooded figures in long cloaks standing beside the plane’s wing. They had appeared without anyone noticing.

Two were tall, and one was short. Their faces were obscured, but they all appeared to be male.

"When did you all arrive?"

Tao Xingzhi asked, his surprise evident.

"Heh. Same time as you."

Qin Xiaoxia was merely stating a fact, but it reinforced a particular impression the members of the Special Security Team already had.

The people from Dawn always seemed to materialize out of nowhere, never giving the impression that they were approaching from a distance.

This impression would soon be confirmed in an even more direct way.

「After a flight of several hours, the plane landed at a military base in Russia.」

An escort from the Guardian unit was there to receive them, with Lazov himself present.

But from the moment the Special Security Team disembarked, they quickly noticed something strange. The Russian soldiers moving about the base all stared intently at them, yet every single one of them seemed completely oblivious to the members of Dawn.

Even though the three were walking right alongside their group of more than a dozen people, no one paid the strangely dressed trio any mind. It wasn’t as if they were invisible—the Special Security Team could see them perfectly fine, and sometimes, passing soldiers would even unconsciously make way for the robed figures.

The phenomenon was less peculiar than it was downright eerie, as if the Russian soldiers’ bodies were acting in defiance of their own minds.