Long River Eternity

Hearing Liu Xianxian's panicked voice, Lin Ding's heart tightened, and his expression instantly became solemn. He rushed to the door as fast as he could, his eyes looking through Liu Xianxian's shoulder and locking onto the unfamiliar figure at the door - it was the man who had been reading the newspaper at the stairs.

The man wore a loose black hoodie, pulled down deep on his head like a mysterious cloak, obscuring his entire body. Through the hood, one could vaguely see a peaked cap, its brim drooping, revealing only a few strands of white hair. His face was completely obscured, giving it a particularly eerie look. Liu Xianxian's panic when she first opened the door immediately made Lin Ding understand the reason.

The man stood quietly at the door, neither speaking nor looking up, as if brewing some sinister plan. Lin Ding carefully studied him, and with a thought in his mind, he tentatively asked, "Mo Qingchen, Minister Mo?"

Hearing Lin Ding's call, the man shuddered slightly, then a hint of nervousness appeared, as if he desperately wanted to break into the house, but Liu Xianxian blocked his way. Finally, he simply reached out his hand. Lin Ding, alert, was about to stop him, but the seemingly simple gesture instantly pushed Liu Xianxian aside. As soon as Lin Ding raised his hand, the man disappeared through the doorway like a ghost, and the two of them only felt a breeze passing by.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut. Lin Ding hurriedly supported Liu Xianxian, who was nearly knocked down by the push. He was secretly shocked: So fast! If he intended to hurt anyone, the consequences would be disastrous.

After stabilizing Liu Xianxian, Lin Ding looked back into the house. At this time, the mysterious man had already appeared inside. He threw the newspaper in his hand aside, took off his hoodie and baseball cap, revealing his true face under disguise. He was the director of the Tianshu Pavilion Archaeology Department - Mo Qingchen.

Mo Qingchen threw his clothes carelessly on the bed and said in surprise, "Fuck, kid, you can still recognize me even when I'm dressed like this?!"

Lin Ding approached Mo Qingchen cautiously, his expression serious. "Minister Mo, you came here dressed like this and barged into our room. What exactly do you want to do? Are you trying to stand up for Mu Changsheng?"

Mo Qingchen waved his hand dismissively, his face filled with disdain. "If Boss Zhan hadn't insisted I come, do you think I'd be willing to take this risk? If I didn't dress up properly and your journalist friend took a picture of me coming to your house, it would be all over the headlines tomorrow." He pointed to the newspaper he had just tossed aside and continued, "As for that old brat Mu Changsheng, I don't even bother to care about him."

Lin Ding followed his hand and saw a large headline on the front page: "Shock! The descendant of the divine messenger has reappeared in the world. Who is he?" Attached below were several photos of him and Mu Tiansheng fighting fiercely underground, and even a close-up of him. These photos were obviously taken by Chu Tianxiao. Lin Ding thought to himself, I didn't expect Chu Tianxiao to actually make him a headline.

Lin Ding didn't pay any more attention to the newspaper report and continued to ask: "If it's not for Mu Changsheng, then what is the matter that requires you, the minister, to come here in person?"

"Um... that..." Mo Qingchen seemed a little embarrassed. He turned his head and said hesitantly, "Boss Zhan asked me to come&%@￥."

"What did you say?" Lin Ding looked at Liu Xianxian with a puzzled look on his face. It was obvious that Liu Xianxian also had a face full of question marks and did not hear clearly what Mo Qingchen said.

"Tsk," Mo Qingchen said again with a reluctant look on his face, "Due to Mu Changsheng's bad behavior, Tianshu Pavilion decided that I would represent Tianshu Pavilion to come here."

Mo Qingchen's words were still vague in the end. He really couldn't bring himself to apologize to an 18-year-old young man as someone who held one of the highest powers in Jiuzhou.

Lin Ding thought for a moment, then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Oh~ You are here to apologize."

"Fuck, you can even hear this. I don't even know what I'm saying." Mo Qingchen was shocked by Lin Ding again.

"I guessed." Lin Ding looked at Mo Qingchen with a strange expression. He felt that Mo Qingchen lacked the steadiness of a superior and was rather a bit frivolous. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was just like that or if he was doing it on purpose.

"Guessed? Then you guessed my identity too?" Mo Qingchen asked.

"That's not the case. I have no relatives or friends in Zhongzhou City. Who else could have found my residence so quickly except Tianshu Pavilion? Besides, I have seen you in the underground. I remember your white hair, and there were a few strands of white hair sticking out from your hat. You are about the same size, so I deliberately tricked you." Lin Ding explained.

"Quite smart." Mo Qingchen praised.

"So you really came here just to apologize?" Lin Ding confirmed.

"You can say that." Mo Qingchen lowered his head and spread his hands helplessly.

"You came empty-handed?" Lin Ding said shockingly, even Liu Xianxian beside him looked at Lin Ding in surprise.

"Are you polite?" Hearing Lin Ding's words, Mo Qingchen suddenly raised his head and asked in disbelief.

Lin Ding laughed disdainfully and said, "Haha, you came to apologize but didn't show any gratitude. Is that polite?"

Mo Qingchen was so angry that he laughed: "Okay, okay, okay, you are the first one who dares to talk to me like this besides those people from Tianshu Pavilion."

Lin Ding waved his hand and said, "Stop talking nonsense. As Mu Changsheng's immediate superior, I don't trust you at all. Who knows if you really came here to apologize?"

Mo Qingchen said helplessly, "Young man, why are you so worried? Well, I'll be frank. Would you like to consider joining the Archaeology Department? I heard that your parents are both well-known archaeologists. Now that Mu Changsheng has been arrested, the position of director is vacant. If your parents can make some contributions after joining, plus the merit of discovering the underground ruins this time, I can directly let your father become the director. Then, all the ancient books and documents about the gods in the Archaeology Department will be open to you. How do you think?"

Lin Ding hadn't expected Mo Qingchen to actually try to win him over, even bringing his parents along. However, the conditions he offered were indeed very tempting. If he hadn't already decided to join the military, he might have considered it.

Seeing Lin Ding's silence, Mo Qingchen thought he was considering his proposal, and then added, "Of course, your friends can also join the Archaeology Department. There are a large number of techniques and instruments in the Archaeology Department that can quickly improve their cultivation. Besides, there are usually no dangerous missions. The most they might encounter when digging ruins is some monsters living underground..."

Mo Qingchen was still rattling off his terms, but Lin Ding raised his hand to interrupt him, saying in a deep voice, "I appreciate your kindness, but we decided yesterday to join the military department and will sign up the day after tomorrow."

"What the hell? The Military Department is so dangerous, what's the point of going there?" Mo Qingchen said anxiously.

"Hahaha!" A loud laugh echoed from outside the balcony, and then Zhan Tianqiong descended from the sky and landed on the balcony. "Young man, you have courage. A true man must march before millions of people, resisting foreign enemies and expanding the territory. You are worthy of being the descendant of a divine envoy. No need to sign up, I accept! Hahaha!"

Seeing Zhan Tianqiong, Mo Qingchen couldn't help but take a step back and said in surprise: "Boss Zhan? Didn't you say you wouldn't come?"

Zhan Tianqiong glanced at Mo Qingchen and said unhappily, "If I don't come, do you think I'll let you talk nonsense here? Did I tell you to say that yesterday?"

"What I'm saying is, I haven't finished yet. It's your turn to tell me what to say next." Mo Qingchen said guiltily.

"You think the Military Department is useless, right? If your Archaeology Department digs up any weird monsters in the future, remember not to come to the Military Department for help." Zhan Tianqiong said coldly.

Hearing this, Mo Qingchen's face fell, looking as ugly as if he had eaten a dead fly. He thought to himself: I will never talk nonsense behind others' backs again, especially Zhan Tianqiong.

Then he forced a smile and said, "Boss Zhan, I'm worried that the heir of the Divine Envoy is so young. It's too dangerous to go directly to the Military Department. Why don't we first come to the Archaeology Department to improve our cultivation?"

Zhan Tianqiong's eyes lit up. "The heir of the Divine Envoy doesn't cultivate our system. So, do you have any treasures that can help him improve his cultivation? Are you planning to give them to him as an apology?"

Mo Qingchen was stunned, secretly thinking that he had fallen into the trap of this old fox, but he had no choice but to admit defeat and said, "Of course, you came before I even mentioned that."

Lin Ding was delighted to hear this. He didn't believe Mo Qingchen's words that he had already prepared an apology. He was clearly being tricked by Zhan Tianqiong. He didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain, and he couldn't help but feel a little better about Zhan Tianqiong.

Mo Qingchen said to Lin Ding at this time, "Our archaeology department has excavated some strange stones. Although we can't sense any energy fluctuations within the stones, after comparing them with the information about spiritual energy cultivation left by the divine messenger, we found that they might be spiritual stones. They are now kept in the secret warehouse of the archaeology department. I will take you to get them when the time comes."

"Okay." Lin Ding was secretly happy and agreed without hesitation. It happened that the spiritual essence in his hand was almost used up, and it would be great if he could get a replenishment.

Zhan Tianqiong clearly didn't want to let Mo Qingchen go, and continued, "A few days ago, the Kaijiang Third Team discovered a ruin on an island in Haizhou. While exploring, they were attacked by unidentified creatures. I can't mobilize any support here at the moment. I see you're free, so why not go over and take a look?"

"Okay, then I'll go back first, hand over the things at hand, and then go to Haizhou." Mo Qingchen said.

At this moment, there was a loud "bang" and the door of the room was suddenly kicked open. Wei Wu and Feng Hao ran in with anxious faces.

Seeing Zhan Tianqiong and Mo Qingchen in the room, Wei Wu said angrily, "Old man, I didn't expect you to chase me here. What do you want? Lin Ding, Xianxian, they didn't do anything to you, did they?"