In Panjiayuan, the first thing they did was trick Lao Hu into going tomb raiding.

Su Mo pondered for a while and said, "Alright, my Su Family Auction House will take on this task!"

Seeing that Su Mo had agreed, Zhang Dafoye nodded, his tiger-like eyes fixed on Su Mo, a hint of amusement flashing in them. "Young man, how about I introduce you to the Nine Gates?"

"..."

Without even thinking, Su Mo shook his head. "Great Buddha, forget it. I'm used to being lazy, and the Nine Gates' many rules aren't suitable for me..."

Join the Nine Gates?

It's ridiculous! The wealth that Su Mo currently possesses far surpasses that of any family among the Nine Gates. What was once a behemoth in the eyes of others is now nothing more than that in Su Mo's eyes.

Zhang Dafoye's thin lips moved slightly, as if he was about to say something, but Su Mo rudely interrupted him, saying, "Dafoye, since there's nothing else, I'll take my leave!"

With that, Su Mo left the banquet hall.

Zhang Dafoye clenched his fist, a hint of anger flashing across his face.

"Buddha..."

Outside, several elders who had sparred with Su Mo returned, smiling as they asked, "How is this young man? How does he compare to your nine disciples and grand-disciples?"

"Hey…"

Master Zhang sighed, "Good kung fu, resourceful, and cunning—this young man has the makings of a ruthless hero!"

Everyone was shocked, never expecting that Master Zhang would have such a high opinion of this young man.

Zhang Dafoye continued, "After my death, none of the Nine Gates will be able to restrain him..."

The Wu family, the Xie family, the Huo family, the Chen family!

The image of the second generation of the Nine Gates slowly flashed through Zhang Dafoye's mind, but Zhang Dafoye shook his head, knowing that his disciples and grand-disciples were far inferior to Su Mo.

Wu Sansheng, the third son of the Wu family, is indeed a prominent figure, but he is still a bit inferior to Su Mo.

"Descendants will have their own fortunes; let them be..."

Master Zhang sighed deeply, turned and left, leaving everyone with a desolate silhouette.

……

As soon as Su Mo left the banquet hall, the square-faced officer quickly found her and led her out of Zhongnanhai.

After leaving Zhongnanhai, Su Mo felt as if he had been transported to another world. He never imagined that he would one day be received by the leader.

This is something I can brag about for the rest of my life!

Su Mo smiled and, instead of returning to Panjiayuan, directly hailed a car and went to the headquarters of Su's Auction House.

The Su Building is bustling with traffic. Thanks to Su Mo's relentless investment over the years, hotels, KTVs, and bars have sprung up all around, covering dozens of miles, making it one of the most vibrant commercial streets in Yanjing.

Upon entering the building, someone summoned Lao Hu, Zhang Yingchuan, and others.

"These past few days..."

Su Mo truthfully recounted the events in Hong Kong, saying, "You've gone to the trouble of making a trip to Hong Kong..."

"Han Shuna is familiar with Hong Kong Island; let her go with us..."

"And Ah Xiang, her ability to see ghosts might be able to help..."

"Oh, and there are also the Four Fierce Generals; they are responsible for protecting your safety!"

Han Shuna is like a tour guide, Ah Xiang has the ability to see through illusions, while Zhang Yingchuan and Lao Hu are tomb raiders. The Four Fiends possess the essence and blood of the Four Fiends, and their skills are second only to Su Mo.

This team already includes 90% of Su Mo's elites.

Su Mo said in a deep voice, "This concerns national treasures, so we cannot be careless. Even a grain of sand must be kept in Hong Kong!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Yingchuan and Lao Hu rarely saw Su Mo's tone so serious, so they dared not be careless and nodded repeatedly.

"Go..."

Su Mo waved his hand, "Book your tickets early. We also have business in Hong Kong; they can offer you preferential rates..."

"Besides, I've also spoken with Mr. Li Jiacheng on the phone. The Li family is a prominent and influential family in Hong Kong, a local power. With him backing you up, things will be much easier for you..."

Time flies, and after eight years of development, Su Mo's team of talents has matured. Most of the time, he is stationed in Yanjing, coordinating various forces.

Jude Kao is nothing to Su Mo. He doesn't even need Su Mo's help. Old Hu is mature and steady. With him around, Su Mo is very at ease about the trip to Hong Kong.

……

After coordinating and arranging everything, Su Mo returned to Panjiayuan.

Upon entering the house, another familiar face from the Nine Gates came into view.

Chapter 162: Jie Xiaohua Becomes an Apprentice

"Yo!"

Su Mo feigned surprise, "Lieutenant, what brings you here?"

This person was Zhang Rishan, and standing next to him was a delicate-looking child, about twelve or thirteen years old, with very pretty features.

No wonder Wu Xie mistook Xie Xiaohua for a girl when he was a child; she was so delicate, it's no wonder.

Su Mo couldn't help but pat the child's head and smiled, "Little Hua has grown so tall..."

"Is this Xie Xiaohua, who was fostered in Panjiayuan back then?"

Sometime later, the fat man also came into the shop from outside, squatted down, and stared at Xie Xiaohua, looking her up and down for a long time. "How come you've grown into a girl..."

"No, no, no..."

The fat man shook his head, "I don't believe this is Xie Xiaohua..."

The fat man was really curious, so he reached out and touched between Xie Xiaohua's legs. After feeling something, he withdrew his hand and said, "Hey! That's amazing. She looks so delicate, but she's actually a boy!"

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Xie Xiaohua was completely stunned. Her face flushed red, and she glared angrily at the fat man.

This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous! How can you insult someone like that?!

You're getting physical! Can't you act like a grown-up?

Zhang Rishan looked as if he had seen something bizarre, his face darkening.

Seeing this, Su Mo quickly stepped forward, pulled the fat man away, laughed, and smoothed things over, "Lieutenant, what brings you to my humble shop today?"

Su Mo smiled, but inwardly he was cursing. This was never going to end! He had just finished dealing with the matter arranged by Zhang Dafoye, and now his adjutant had come looking for him again!

Damn it, today's almanac is inauspicious; it's absolutely not a good day to go out!

Zhang Rishan said, "I want Xiaohua to become your apprentice!"

Jie Xiaohua looked up at Su Mo, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Putting everything else aside, Su Mo's skills are absolutely top-notch. Back then, during the New Moon Hotel bombing incident, Su Mo's kung fu left a deep impression on Xie Xiaohua.

【Ding! 】

A system voice sounded: [Jie Jiayuchen wishes to become an apprentice. Congratulations, host, you have triggered the selection condition!]

[Option 1: Politely refuse Jie Xiaohua's request, rewarding you with a permanent +1 Intelligence!]

[Option Two: Accept Jie Xiaohua, reward with the Black Gold Ancient Sword (Zhang Qiling's signature sword)]

[Option 3: Let someone else take Jie Xiaohua, rewarding you with a permanent +1 Wisdom...]

The first and third options only added 1 point to the attribute, which is unbelievable and incomprehensible.

Su Mo clicked her tongue and looked at Zhang Rishan, "Why did you suddenly have this idea?"

Zhang Rishan glanced at Xie Xiaohua and sighed, "Master Xie Jiu is gone, and it's been kept a secret all along, so very few people know..."

It seems Zhang Rishan wants to help Xie Xiaohua find a powerful backer!

Su Mo was relieved. Looking at Xie Xiaohua, he asked again, "Isn't he a disciple of the Second Master of the Nine Gates? Why does he want to become my disciple?"

Er Yuehong of the Nine Gates ranks second among the Upper Three Gates, second only to Zhang Dafoye. With him around, some petty people should not dare to openly compete for Xie Xiaohua's family property.

Zhang Rishan said quietly, "Second Master's health isn't very good either. Besides, Second Master is just Xiao Hua's opera teacher..."

"..."

Su Mo remained silent. To be honest, he wasn't tempted at all by the system's reward selection this time, so he didn't really want to get involved in this matter.

However, when Su Mo saw the hopeful look in Xie Xiaohua's eyes, his heart softened a little.

That's it!

Back then, Master Xie helped me many times, so this time I'll do it out of respect for him!

Su Mo patted Xie Xiaohua's head. "Alright. I'll take you!"

【Ding! 】

A system voice announced, "[Congratulations, host, for successfully selecting your reward! You are now awarded the Black Gold Ancient Blade (Zhang Qiling's signature battle blade)!]"

Black Gold Ancient Sword!

Forged from meteorite iron, it can cut through hair with a single breath and slice through iron like mud!

However, having used his Crimson Sky Sword for many years and finding it easy to wield, Su Mo had no intention of changing his sword.

Seeing Xie Xiaohua's delight, Su Mo decided to do her a favor, "I don't have anything good to give you... consider this weapon my gift to you!"

As he spoke, Su Mo took out the Black Gold Ancient Sword from the system space and handed it to Xie Xiaohua.

Overall, Xie Xiaohua is quite good.

In the original novel, Xie Xiaohua was known as Xie Yuhuabei, as she took on several hundred million yuan of Wu Xie's debts.

Moreover, Xie Xiaohua is extremely popular among the Nine Gates!

"..."

Xie Xiaohua took a liking to the imposing black and gold ancient sword, which exuded a murderous aura, and happily accepted it, repeatedly expressing her gratitude, "Thank you, Master!"

Zhang Rishan was also surprised to see this scene, thinking to himself, Su Mo has now become a real big shot, and he just gives away such a treasure like that.

The fat man was also surprised that Su Mo had taken on a disciple, muttering to himself, "Young Master Su already has a daughter and a disciple; it seems he can't deny getting old..."

Su Mo was speechless as he listened to the fat man's nagging.