Hearing the girl come to a stop beside him, the thoughtful Gu Mo lifted his head and waved his hand lazily, "Let's take a rest here. Anyway, the Demon Ghosts along the way have been mostly cleared out. This is a good chance for the soldiers to take a break, they must be very tired..."

Listening to his unhesitating words, which seemed so considerate of his subordinates, Hidechika sighed as she observed him sitting there on the ground, with fatigue etched all over his face.

Who exactly is the one who's truly tired and in need of rest here...

Yet she had grown accustomed to her companion's peculiar remarks, and besides, being just a bit tired without any serious injuries was actually quite good... Anyway, the girl didn't wish to see another scene like the one at Thirteen Sakura Village again, although thinking back now, there was a subtle feeling of having been deceived.

"By the way, Ah Xiu, won't you have some? Even if you're not tired, you should have a sip of water, right?"

Gu Mo raised the bamboo tube in his hand toward the girl, giving it a gentle shake, the clear liquid inside sloshing around audibly.

"Don't worry, this one hasn't been opened! It's brand new!" Seeing the girl about to habitually shake her head once again, he added, "I haven't drunk from it, really, no need to be squeamish."

The black-haired girl was still slightly hesitant, which caused Gu Mo to shrug a bit helplessly as he prepared to draw back. But in that moment, he noticed her eventually reaching out hesitantly, her slender white fingers gently taking the cyan bamboo tube he offered.

He exhaled, feeling a slight relief in his heart.

Isn't this considered progress?

Gradually, the footsteps sounded chaotic and disorderly, accompanied by the clanging noise of armor scraping against itself, proving Gu Mo right. Fujikichiro, seeing that the darkness had lifted, quickly led his troops inside and tracked them down to the mansion's depths in no time following the traces left behind.

Monkey screeched and came rushing over, shocked to see Gu Mo sitting on the ground, fussing excessively until he confirmed Gu Mo was unharmed before relaxing.

...

A short while later.

As the soldiers each found a place to rest, the three of them gathered together to discuss the current results of their campaign.

All the way up the mountain, they had swept through countless Demon Ghosts, then thoroughly cleared out the mansion, temporarily resolving the issue... Fujikichiro suggested they should now amass the army to drive out and eradicate the other scattered Demon Ghosts on the mountain.

"We'll get to that later. For now, let's carefully inspect this mansion from the inside out once more. There might be some escaped creatures, and we also need to find out why this Demon Ghost chaos started..."

Gu Mo shook his head, having a differing opinion.

The Viper Divine Domain scenario isn't quite over yet, because there is still an unknown space within the mountain. Unlike in the game, where Saito Dosan's mansion is a single building you can exit through the back door in a few turns upon entering, leading to the road into the cavern inside the mountainous rock—

In this real world, the mansion on the mountain is vast and complex, with secret doors and passages leading into the mountain's interior being hidden who knows where... Naturally, this makes sense, as if you could see them immediately upon entry, Saito Dosan wouldn't be able to conceal his secrets here, as everyone would be taken for fools.

Gu Mo couldn't explain and could only hope for a thorough search to trigger the lead.

"Yes, yes, the mansion is paramount..."

Monkey nodded like a pecking chick, his face twisted into a bitter expression at the thought.

"We must solve this issue beautifully and figure out what happened, so at least we can explain to Lord Dao San then... Sigh, we barely arrived here at Lushan City, and this calamity has struck out of nowhere, Brother Gu Mo. If Lord Dao San reproaches me then, please speak well of me."

"Wouldn't it be more effective to plead with Ah Xiu? It's useless talking to me..." Gu Mo blinked and glanced at the black-haired girl beside him, who looked somewhat awkward.

"Ahaha, well, isn't it the same whether I talk to you or Miss Ah Xiu?" Fujikichiro laughed dryly.

"How could that be the same? That old guy already doesn't see me favorably. He might even take this opportunity to vent on me, so don't expect me to say anything for you..."

"How could that be! Lord Dao San highly values you, Brother Gu Mo!"

Fujikichiro quickly shook his head, having been involved a bit and overhearing Saito Dosan's thoughts. Thus, he had largely figured out some things, understanding that although the Viper was unhappy with the person in front of him because of his daughter, he still objectively thought highly of him.

"No need, I probably can't tell what kind of image I have in his eyes..." Gu Mo waved his hand.

Fujikichiro, a bit anxious, put all his eloquence to use:

"I know what Lord Dosan thinks; he told me before. He believes you have grand aspirations and ambition, but that alone isn't enough! Because you must oppose countless others, Lord Dao San hopes that beyond determination, you will also be persevering, with steadfast resolve and dedicated effort, even if failures occur, one must not be discouraged or waver..."

"Hmm... grand ambitions, steadfast resolve, dedicated effort, and not waver even in failure, and on top of that, opposing countless others?"

Gu Mo rubbed his chin, pondering.

"Why does this sound so familiar... Wait a minute, in his eyes, am I the ultimate antagonist?"

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