60: Chapter 60 Let the child make his own decisions

"What are you two talking about?"

Wen Wan's little head suddenly appeared beside them, scaring Zhou Sanlang so much that the cane in his hand almost flew out.

"Nothing much, just chatting about the history of your Wen family."

Chen Mo was quite honest and didn't hide what the two of them had just been discussing.

"Oh..."

"You don't need to take it seriously; that's all just rumors spread by others. Our Wen family isn't like that."

"Right now, including my father's branch, there are still nearly two hundred people~"

Wen Wan nodded and pointed to the Abyssal Rift not far away.

"The investigation team is ready; let's head out now."

Chen Mo noticed that Wen Wan didn't want to dwell on this topic, so after greeting Zhou Sanlang, he followed her over.

"Uncle Wu! Auntie Dai! We're here!"

Several fully armed martial artists turned their heads. Their first glance was at Wen Wan, but then their gazes were drawn to the 'wall' behind her.

Except for Wu Yangqin, who had already met Chen Mo, the other few Rank 3 Martial Artists were all completely bewildered.

"Little Wen Wan..."

"Where on earth did you get such a..."

They didn't know how to describe Chen Mo; just standing there, he radiated an intense sense of oppression.

It felt like a breathing wall...

"He is Chen Mo."

When Wen Wan said the name 'Chen Mo,' everyone suddenly realized.

"So you're that Chen Mo?"

"The First-Grade Martial Artist who punched and exploded the head of a Rank 3 Abyss Warrior in the simulation?"

"That's not surprising then; these wrists are thicker than my calves."

Several Rank 3 Martial Artists crowded over, reaching out to pat Chen Mo's body.

"Good kid, have you been training in hard qigong?"

"This guy is tough enough; he's even harder than Sister Dai, who practices the Golden Bell Shield?"

"Are you really just a First-Grade Martial Artist?"

They completely ignored Wen Wan's presence; right now, Chen Mo was much more attractive to them than Wen Wan.

"Hard qigong? I haven't practiced that."

Upon hearing the words 'hard qigong,' Chen Mo instantly became interested.

"Big Auntie, where can one learn this Golden Bell Shield?"

As soon as 'Big Auntie' was spoken, everyone, including Wen Wan, held their breath.

Dai Tianran stared straight at Chen Mo and grabbed him by the collar.

But Chen Mo was too tall, so Dai Tianran, grabbing his collar, looked more like she was raising her hands in surrender.

"Say 'Big Auntie' to me one more time?"

"I'm only forty-six this year, call me 'Sister'!"

"Oh, oh, oh."

Chen Mo nodded repeatedly. He didn't know what nerve he had struck in this woman, but now wasn't the time to cause trouble; it was just a change of address.

"Then, Sister, where can I learn this Golden Bell Shield?"

"I wanted to take the assessment for the 2nd-rank Martial Artist certification before, but they told me I needed to learn another martial art technique."

Dai Tianran released Chen Mo's collar and glared at him.

"Three hundred thousand, and I'll teach you!"

"Holy crap, your heart is truly black, you old woman!"

Chen Mo exclaimed, startling the people around them until they stiffened.

"Three hundred thousand? Why don't you go rob someone? That's enough for a month's worth of blood qi pill consumption!"

"?"

A question mark appeared over Dai Tianran's head. She didn't even feel angry; her face was filled with utter confusion.

"Auntie Dai, Auntie Dai, Chen Mo grew up in an Orphanage; his family is extremely poor..."

Wen Wan whispered a reminder to Dai Tianran, and only then did Dai Tianran understand why Chen Mo thought even three hundred thousand was expensive.

"Sigh, you are a good kid."

"It's just that your emotional intelligence is too low; you don't know how to talk."

"Fine, I won't hold it against you. After we come out this time, I'll just consider it doing you a favor."

Women of Dai Tianran's age have a natural maternal instinct, especially when encountering a 'weak' child like Chen Mo.

She wanted to pat Chen Mo's head, but reached out and couldn't reach, so she finally had to settle for patting Chen Mo's butt.

"The danger level of this investigation isn't too high, but there is a certain probability of encountering Abyss Warrior with artifacts."

"When that happens, I will prioritize protecting Wen Wan. If I can't look after you all, you'll have to fend for yourselves."

It was obvious that Dai Tianran was the captain of this investigation team.

"And Chen Mo, you also need to pay attention to your own safety."

"Investigation and exploration are not the same thing; investigation requires going deep into unexplored areas."

"The content of this investigation is also very simple. Based on currently known intelligence, we can determine that this random rift and beast disaster were not naturally occurring."

"Rather, an Abyssal Relic has appeared within the Luo City Abyssal Rift. According to estimates, at least a Rank 3 Martial Artist is needed to investigate."

"But for safety considerations, the higher-ups sent us several 5th-rank Martial Artists, along with little Wen Wan and her personal bodyguard."

Wen Wan's little face turned red, but she didn't refute anything.

Chen Mo quickly understood what he was supposed to do.

It was simple: stay by Wen Wan's side and handle some minor troubles.

"Now, everyone, move out!"

...

Not long after Chen Mo and his group set off to investigate the Abyssal Relic, a roar came from the Wen family mansion in Yanjing.

"Why hasn't that brat come back yet?!"

A middle-aged man wearing glasses and looking cultured slammed his fist onto the table beside him, and the air pressure in the entire living room became heavy.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous relic exploration is? Letting her go to Luo City to support the local Joint Exam was already taking a huge risk!"

"That child Wen Wan's talent is unprecedented within the clan; do you know how precious she is?"

"That is a power capable of changing the entire course of the war; how could you let her run around so easily?"

Amidst the middle-aged man's roars, an old man leaning on a cane slowly walked in.

"What are you shouting about here?"

"It's good for a child to go out and gain experience when they reach the right age. My granddaughter is willing to run around; what right do you have to point fingers?"

The old man's appearance immediately made the roaring middle-aged man shut his mouth, and he sat there obediently, not daring to make a sound.

"Everyone, say less. That girl has her own ideas."

"She even called me before."

"Said she wanted me to do her a favor, to pull some strings."

"To squeeze her into this National Joint Examination and let her experience Luofeng Fortress."