Chapter 142 All Beings Are Equal

Although Hu Baimei’s status within the Nine-Tailed Fox clan was not high, she had seen some of the clan’s inherited rubbing fragments and remembered them quite clearly. The three glowing entities before her were identical to the three great sacred treasures—at least in shape, of course.

"Mei'er, are these the three great sacred treasures you have seen?" Hu Mo asked softly. In truth, these three glowing entities were not the three treasures themselves, but avatars projected by them. Given Hu Mo's current level of strength, he could at most retrieve one of the three treasures; to summon more would require his cultivation to advance to a much higher tier.

Hu Baimei nodded vigorously and said with great excitement, "Yes, yes! I've seen rubbings of the clan's sacred treasures, and those are definitely the three great sacred treasures! There's no doubt about it!"

Hu Baimei’s eyes were filled with reverence, as if she were gazing upon a lofty deity high above. Although they were merely avatars, the aura radiating from them was far from weak; in particular, the aura of wood and fire chaotic battle energy left Hu Baimei somewhat intoxicated.

"I can sense that they emit forces of five different attributes. However, the metal and earth attributes are very weak, while the wood, fire, and water attributes are relatively strong," Hu Baimei reported every detail of her perception. Hu Mo nodded slightly, a thoughtful expression resting on his face.

"As expected. My Lingbo Art has reached the fourth layer, unlocking the wood, fire, and water powers of the three treasures. That is why only these three attributes currently manifest more strongly, while metal and earth remain very weak. But what about the Yin and Yang?" Hu Mo thought to himself, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

As if recalling something, Hu Baimei continued, "There is one more thing: I couldn't sense any Yin and Yang energy from them. It seems a strange force is blocking them off. It's strange, truly very strange."

Hu Baimei shook her head. She was never the type of fox who enjoyed deep thinking, and pondering so many questions all at once genuinely gave her a headache.

Without answering, Hu Mo slowly withdrew the three-treasure avatars back into his body. He closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly chuckled. "It's fine. If we can't figure it out, it doesn't matter. Perhaps it's because my current strength hasn't reached that level yet. Just think—if I could already use the power of these three sacred treasures, wouldn't I have dominated the Continent of Battles long ago?"

Seeing Hu Baimei's silly, deep-in-thought expression, Hu Mo's mood suddenly relaxed considerably. He couldn't help but gently stroke her forehead and said, "Focus on recovering your strength; I won't disturb you any further. I've had a lot on my plate lately, so I'm afraid I won't have the time to look after you properly. I hope you can forgive me."

Hu Mo spoke with utmost sincerity. From Hu Baimei, he once again felt that initial sense of comfort—a resonance of the soul, as though the other person were a part of his own body.

Hu Baimei’s cheeks flushed scarlet. With a faint smile, she nodded and said, "I know. Once I have fully recovered, I will definitely do my utmost to help you with many things. You are my master; I didn't acknowledge it before, but now... I somewhat do."

Hu Baimei smiled craftily, her blushing cheeks radiating a charm capable of captivating all beings.

Her voice was incomparably gentle, soft as the breeze and tender as water—an utterly flawless sensation.

Hu Mo nodded and turned to leave. Just as he was about to reach the courtyard gate, Hu Baimei’s voice came from behind him: "Master, don't worry! Regarding the sacred treasures, even if I die, I will never let anyone else know. I promise!"

Hu Mo paused in his steps, nodded gently, and slowly walked out of the small courtyard. There was not a shred of doubt in his heart, for this was something he had chosen to speak of of his own accord; having spoken, he had no regrets.

These past few days had been filled with rushing about, and he certainly had not intended to idle at home. Therefore, no sooner had he left the courtyard than he prepared to step outside the Hu Estate.

Yet, just as his leading foot was about to cross the threshold, a light cough sounded from behind him, causing him to halt and a wry smile to instantly appear on his face.

"Grandfather, you should go rest first. I have some matters to attend to, so..."

"Come here, to my study!" Hu Itiger directly cut Hu Mo off, his tone resolute and unyielding.

Hu Mo shrugged helplessly and followed Hu Itiger toward the so-called study.

Come to think of it, for a rough-hewn man—especially an illiterate one—to own a study sounded rather awkward. However, Hu Itiger was particularly fond of putting on an air of refinement to imbue himself with a touch of scholarly fragrance, much like his intention when building the library pavilion within the estate: to project an image of equal proficiency in both civil and martial arts.

Upon entering the study, Hu Itiger sat down, radiating an overbearing aura. He scrutinized Hu Mo, his gaze making the latter feel somewhat uneasy.

"Some things must be made clear before you leave. Tell this old man, what on earth is your relationship with that little vixen?" Hu Itiger glared, speaking with fierce severity.

Hearing this, Hu Mo genuinely felt an urge to die. The sentiment felt precisely like a legal wife interrogating her husband about whether he had a mistress outside. If祝新月 (Zhu Xinyue) had asked this question, it might have made some sense. But coming from his own grandfather, it was rather difficult to accept. With a bitter face and utter helplessness, Hu Mo looked at him, temporarily incapable of uttering a word.

Seeing his expression, Hu Itiger frowned and said coldly, "What, you still want to hide it? If she were human, it wouldn't matter, but she is a vixen! And you've even been intimate with her like that—this old man will never let you off! A beast is a beast; how could you do such things with her?!"

Hu Itiger’s old face flushed red with indignation, to the point where he seemed somewhat incoherent. Hu Mo’s expression darkened, a sudden sense of discomfort welling up in his heart. Although faint, it was distinct.

While Hu Itiger’s words were meant for his own good, Hu Mo thoroughly disagreed with them. What of battle beasts? Battle beasts possessed emotions too; at times, humans might not even be as kind as battle beasts! Hu Itiger’s words were far too absolute—so arbitrarily absolute that Hu Mo found them hard to accept.

Composing himself, Hu Mo addressed Hu Itiger very respectfully: "Grandfather, your grandson and Mei'er have not had any improper relations. What happened this morning was merely a misunderstanding. At the time, I was simply establishing a contract with her to bind her life-soul; nothing else occurred at all. Grandfather, you may rest easy."

A flash of joy crossed Hu Itiger’s heart, and he immediately exclaimed in surprise, "What? Excellent, truly excellent! You actually subdued a battle beast of divine beast rank? This is a heaven-sent fortune! Haha, Heaven bless the Hu family! Heaven bless the Hu family! Hahaha..."

Hu Itiger laughed heartily, utterly unable to suppress his overflowing joy. And it was hardly surprising; as the king of battle beasts, the nine-tailed fox was practically a divine-tier pet to cultivators on the Continent of Battles. If one's cultivation proceeded smoothly, there was a high likelihood of becoming a supreme powerhouse of this world. Who wouldn't be tempted? Who wouldn't go mad for it?

Hu Mo watched Hu Itiger calmly, shook his head slightly, and said, "Grandfather, I subdued Mei'er primarily due to my master's request. Otherwise, I would not have done so."

"Why? Mo'er, why would you have such thoughts?" Hu Itiger possessed sharp perceptions and instantly sensed the shift in Hu Mo's mood, prompting him to ask.

Hu Mo cupped his hands slightly and spoke with deep respect: "Because your grandson believes that whether it is a battle beast or a human, all possess their own choices. There is no superiority or inferiority—only kindness and malice. Take humans, for example. Grandfather, let me ask you: if you had to compare the person you hate most with a wolf, which one would you detest more?"

"Naturally, the person I hate most! Do I even need to think about that?" Hu Itiger answered casually.

Hu Mo smiled and said, "Indeed. Since Grandfather says so, doesn't it prove that humans can be inferior to beasts? The logic is simple; in truth, everyone understands it, perhaps even more thoroughly than we do. What people truly look down upon and despise is a person they hate, regardless of race. It is the same with battle beasts: if they are inherently benevolent beings, what reason do we have to detest them?"

"Is what Mei'er said unreasonable? Back then, our Battle Clan was composed of both the human race and the battle beast race. It was through the cooperation of our two races in the wars of the past that the Continent of Battles has been able to exist to this day. Yet humans not only fail to show gratitude, but we have also carried out inhumane slaughter and suppression against the battle beast race. I ask you, is what we humans did right? Grandfather, right and wrong, good and evil, lie solely within one's intent, not within one's race."

"As for why I subdued Mei'er, it was mainly out of concern that certain secrets might be exposed, which would inevitably bring a catastrophic disaster upon our Hu family. For the sake of our Hu family, I had to do it, even if it meant going against my conscience. As for whether Hu Baimei can do anything for me now, I care not in the least. Even if she spends every day in the Hu Estate eating, sleeping, and playing, I will not interfere with her. Unless she wishes to help me of her own accord, I will place no demands upon her. I truly hope Grandfather can understand your grandson's intentions; if so, your grandson will be endlessly grateful!"

Hu Mo bowed deeply and respectfully to Hu Itiger, his face resolute. Hu Itiger stared in a daze for a long while before suddenly bursting into laughter. "My grandson truly speaks with stunning insight! No wonder, no wonder! No wonder my own cultivation has remained stagnant at the Third-Rank Battle Emperor stage without the slightest improvement. It turns out my spiritual realm was too shallow, too stubborn. Hearing Mo'er's words today, I suddenly feel as though my heart has been opened up. Haha, go do what you want to do; Grandfather believes in you!"

Hu Itiger laughed aloud, the booming sound stirring dust from the books on the shelf. Realizing this, Hu Itiger's face reddened slightly. Coughing lightly, he waved his hand. "Go on, go on! This old man still has reading to do and has no time to waste with you. Hurry off, hurry off!"

With lowered head and a slight upward curve at the corners of his mouth, Hu Mo straightened his posture as he lifted his head once more, his expression turning incomparably resolute. He shouted aloud, "Understood! Lord Marshal! Your subordinate obeys!"

Hu Itiger momentarily froze. When he looked up again, Hu Mo had already vanished from the study. Gazing at the receding figure, a nameless sensation welled up in Hu Itiger's heart, reminding him of that other tall yet youthful figure from twenty years ago.

"Meng'er, Mo'er has grown up. Did you see that? Ah, Meng'er, Meng'er... where on earth are you?" Hu Itiger sighed softly and slowly closed his book.