Chapter 22: The War Department’s Assistance

“What? Isn’t Xiaoxiao in the hospital? Didn’t you have anyone looking after her?” Mo Han frowned, a trace of urgency flickering in his heart. Xiaoxiao was the apple of his eye; today’s bloody purge of the Tan family was all to avenge her. And now, to have lost her—how could he not be anxious?

“I—I…” Li An’an stammered, guilt creeping into her voice. “At the time, Tan Tailun insisted Xiaoxiao had to be brought to the Tan family to be spared. I had no choice but to bring her along…”

“Tan Tailun…”

Mo Han’s gaze swept across the carnage. Among the bodies of the Tan family, Tan Tailun’s corpse was indeed missing. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes. He realized that Xiaoxiao was most certainly in Tan Tailun’s hands now.

No matter the cost, he would find Tan Tailun and rescue Xiaoxiao!

“I can help you find your daughter.”

Just then, Huang Zhanguo spoke up.

Mo Han nodded. He knew that if the War Division mobilized their resources, finding Tan Tailun would be a simple task. If he tried to search alone, he might never find him.

He said, “Then I’ll leave it to you. As long as you can safely find my daughter, I can help you train dozens of so-called War Gods. In fact, if you give me a few with exceptional talent, I can bring them to your level within five to ten years.”

“You—you have a shortcut to power?” Huang Zhanguo was shaken, looking at Mo Han in astonishment.

Since ancient times, martial cultivation had been as difficult as climbing to the heavens. Even with rare medicinal aids, breaking through to the Profound Rank was extremely challenging. Even among War Gods, the War Division counted only four; the entire ancient martial world perhaps a dozen more. Mo Han, however, was offering to train dozens in one breath—an outrageous claim.

He couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it.

But if Mo Han truly intended to cultivate warriors for the War Division, at the very least, it would tie him to them. In time, with a little persuasion, it would only be a matter of time before Mo Han joined the War Division.

With this in mind, Huang Zhanguo said, “Very well. Within two days, I will find your daughter. When I return north, I’ll select a group of young talents from the War Division to train under you. The resources they need will all be provided by us.”

“Find my daughter first,” Mo Han replied. He gave a brief nod, then left with Li An’an.

“Fifth Elder, do you think he’s trustworthy?” Watching Mo Han and Li An’an disappear from sight, Wu Yue stepped forward to ask.

“His personal strength is top tier. His grandfather and father are both heroes of our land—how wicked could his intentions possibly be?” Huang Zhanguo glanced at Wu Yue, his voice calm.

Wu Yue’s heart skipped a beat, startled. “Could it be… he’s Grand Marshal Mo Tianji’s grandson?”

Huang Zhanguo nodded, offering no further explanation, and turned his gaze to Ding Si.

Ding Si, alarmed, hurriedly saluted. “Greetings, Fifth Elder!”

He had never met Huang Zhanguo before, but Wu Yue’s earlier address had already made his identity clear. Huang Zhanguo was one of the five great powers of the War Division, a Heaven Rank expert above even the War Gods—his superior’s superior’s superior!

“Do you realize how grave a mistake you’ve made?” Huang Zhanguo fixed Ding Si with a cold, disappointed stare.

Ding Si’s face turned ashen. This operation might well cost him his position in the War Division. Everything he had was thanks to them; if he were expelled, he would be left with nothing.

“Fifth Elder, I’m sorry, I—I know I was wrong!” Ding Si hung his head, his voice trembling.

“Hmph. Don’t bother returning to the War Division. Stay here and answer to Mo Han’s orders. When you satisfy both him and me, you can come back,” Huang Zhanguo snorted, sealing Ding Si’s fate with a single sentence.

“Thank you for your mercy, Fifth Elder. I won’t let the War Division down again!” With his heart pounding, Ding Si felt a rush of relief. The Fifth Elder had shown him leniency; he hadn’t been expelled outright. Though it was a loss of face for a War King to serve under Mo Han, at least he had a chance to return one day.

Huang Zhanguo turned to Wu Yue. “Mobilize all district resources and find Mo Han’s daughter as quickly as possible. Under no circumstances can you exceed the two-day deadline!”

This was his bargain with Mo Han—he could not afford to lose credibility. Unless Tan Tailun had already killed Mo Han’s daughter, he would find Tan Tailun within a day. The two-day limit was simply to leave himself some room to maneuver.

“Rest assured, Fifth Elder. Tan Tailun won’t escape us,” Wu Yue said resolutely.

Huang Zhanguo nodded and strode out.

Ding Si looked at the corpses strewn across the floor and the dull thudding from the coffin on the stage. “Fifth Elder, what should we do with the Tan family’s bodies?”

“Do you really need to ask me?” Huang Zhanguo shot him a cold glance.

Seeing the displeasure in the elder’s eyes, Ding Si shrank back. “But… there’s still someone alive in the coffin…”

“Did you not hear Mo Han earlier? Tan Xiaorong must die. He’s already as good as dead,” Huang Zhanguo said coldly.

Ding Si’s heart trembled. From the Fifth Elder’s words, he finally understood just how important Mo Han was. To win Mo Han’s favor, the Fifth Elder would break the rules without hesitation.

“Understood. I’ll have someone take care of it right away.” Ding Si replied respectfully.

Huang Zhanguo ignored him and left with Wu Yue.

Ding Si glanced at the coffin on the stage, the muffled pounding continuing within, and shook his head with a sigh. In the end, he took out his phone and called the constabulary to deal with the aftermath.