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

The reason I didn't let Fatty go to Hong Kong with Lao Hu was because I was afraid Fatty would cause trouble. It involved national treasures, and they couldn't afford to take responsibility if anything went wrong.

Su Mo smiled. "Alright, go back now. From now on, get up early every morning and come to Panjiayuan to practice your skills with me!"

"Uh-huh!"

Xie Xiaohua nodded repeatedly, "I will definitely be able to acquire skills like Master's!"

Su Mo chuckled, "Alright, we'll see what you achieve in the future..."

Xie Xiaohua was dragging the black gold ancient sword, which was too heavy. She hadn't even taken two steps before she stopped, panting heavily.

Zhang Rishan laughed and said, "Just put it on the ground first, no one will steal your treasure!"

Xie Xiaohua was a little embarrassed. She scratched her head, put down the Black Gold Ancient Sword, and turned to go to the backyard to find Xiao Cun Ding to play with Nannan.

After Xie Xiaohua left, only Zhang Rishan, Su Mo, and the fat man remained in the room.

Zhang Rishan asked, "Have you met the Buddha?"

"Ok!"

Su Mo shrugged. "I've seen him..."

Zhang Rishan sighed, "Buddha has had a tough time these past years. Many like-minded people back then didn't understand him..."

Su Mo shook his head, interrupting Zhang Rishan's long-winded speech, and said, "Adjutant, I heard from Patriarch Yin a few years ago that you went to Banna. I wonder if you gained anything from that trip?"

Su Mo didn't care about whether Zhang Dafoye was right or wrong. In fact, he was more concerned about the matter of the Banna Sanatorium.

Zhang Rishan paused slightly, looking at Su Mo with a half-smile, "You really want to hear about Banna?"

"..."

Su Mo shook his head repeatedly, "No, thank you. I was just asking casually..."

"Lieutenant, it's getting late, so I won't keep you for dinner..."

"Don't worry, Xie Xiaohua will stay with me. No one will dare to bully him..."

Good grief, this kid is telling you to get out!

Zhang Rishan raised an eyebrow and said with a wry smile, "I can't tell you about Banna..."

No, no, no. I don't want to hear what you want to say now!

Su Mo muttered to himself.

"There is one thing I could help you with..."

Zhang Rishan handed Su Mo a photo, saying, "You're a big shot now, with connections to the highest levels. If you ever run into this person, remember to let me know..."

"During my trip to Banna a few years ago, besides that special mission, another of my responsibilities was to find the person in the photo. However, I stayed in Banna for more than two years but never found any trace of him..."

Su Mo glanced down at the photo. It showed a young man dressed in black, expressionless, with a perpetually deadpan face.

This is... Zhang Qiling!

Su Mo's pupils dilated.

Chapter 163: The Era of the Nine Gates Ends, Zhang Qiling Appears

Zhang Qiling... How could it be him!

Su Mo's pupils contracted slightly, and he was startled.

Zhang Rishan raised an eyebrow at Su Mo's expression. "You know him?"

"No, no, no..."

Su Mo shook his head repeatedly, admitting, "I had heard of his reputation before, but I've never met him..."

"I see!"

Zhang Rishan said with some regret, "If you have any news about him, please let me know as soon as possible!"

"Ok!"

Su Mo nodded slightly, "Okay, no problem..."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zhang Rishan left Panjiayuan with Xie Xiaohua.

"Zhang Qiling..."

Su Mo stared at Zhang Rishan's retreating figure, his gaze deep, and murmured to himself, "Zhang Qiling, where are you?"

.........

In response to the incident of foreigners swapping Hong Kong's national treasures, Hu Jintao, Zhang Yingchuan, and those foreigners caused quite a stir in Hong Kong.

Seeing the situation escalating, the old man, who always valued his life, realized the tide was turning against him and fled Hong Kong Island, leaving only his men to fight against Lao Hu and his group.

The two sides clashed repeatedly, even resorting to physical violence in secret. Fortunately, the four fierce generals were highly skilled and protected Lao Hu and Zhang Yingchuan's lives on several occasions.

Six months later, with the end of the political maneuvering behind Hong Kong Island and the determination of its ownership, those foreign antique dealers shut down and slunk away with their capital.

This war, which lasted for half a year without gunfire, ended with Hu Jintao's victory.

After this incident, Jude Kao, like the Wang family before him, went into complete silence.

.........

Su Mo couldn't quite figure out Zhang Dafoye, so he kept a low profile in the days that followed.

Time flies, years pass.

Thirteen years later, in 2003, with the passing of Zhang Dafoye, Su Mo's scheme slowly came to light.

The first batch of Qinglong security team members have long since retired and are enjoying their retirement ahead of time.

The orphans that Su Mo focused on nurturing back then have long since entered Su's auction house, international salvage team, antique street, and businesses around the world.

Secretly, Su Mo also possesses many tomb raiding teams.

In addition, Yingzi had been teaching in Yanjing for many years, and through this connection, she had also introduced many talented people to Su Mo.

Today, Su Mo's strength is far beyond what any of the Nine Gates families can match.

The name of Master Su of Yanjing is an insurmountable barrier in Yanjing and even in the entire Chinese antique trade.

It was once rumored that once antiques entered China, no company could sell a single piece of rubble without Master Su's approval.

Following Zhang Dafoye, Su Mo has become another giant in the antique business!

As China entered the new century, the era of the Nine Gates came to a complete end!

.........

Over the past thirteen years, earth-shattering changes have taken place around Su Mo.

The little girl from back then is now a senior in high school. She was so well-behaved and adorable back then, and now she's so mischievous and clever.

The little girl is going through a rebellious phase, which is causing Yingzi a lot of worry.

Old Hu, Fatty, and the others also got married one after another.

Old Hu and Shirley Yang finally became a couple.

Zhang Yingchuan then married A Xiang.

The fat man and the peacock got together.

Big Gold Tooth and Han Shuna had a daughter.

Through an introduction, Ada started dating a girl who was born and raised in Yanjing City.

Seeing that many of his brothers had started families, Su Mo was quite happy. After all, these people had followed him through thick and thin, and now they were finally living a good life.

Of course, there was also something that made Yingzi unhappy during this time—since she became pregnant with Nannan, her belly had stopped showing any signs of pregnancy.

This left Yingzi completely baffled.

Su Mo guessed the reason, which was probably due to the Azure Dragon bloodline.

Chickens and ducks roam in flocks, while the offspring of tigers and lions maintain a relatively balanced state; this is a basic law of survival in nature.

Helpless, Yingzi could only resort to the most basic method – trying more.

After Yingzi took three longevity pills, her bodily functions stopped declining.

Time has left no trace on her; over the years, people have often mistaken her for Nannan's sister.

Although Su Mo's ID number indicates he's not young, he's still incredibly energetic in some ways, often causing Yingzi to secretly complain.

this day.

The two had just finished being intimate and were about to whisper some private words to each other.

Just then, a nanny called out from outside, "Master Su, Miss Ying, Miss Nannan is missing!"

what?

Yingzi, who was in Su Mo's arms, sat up, looking shocked. "What happened?"

Su Mo raised an eyebrow, did some quick calculations, and asked in surprise, "She actually went down into the ancient tomb?"

"what…"

Su Mo laughed, quite surprised, "I didn't let her learn the skills of tomb raiding, but he taught himself!"

"Don't worry!

Seeing Yingzi's anxious face, Su Mo comforted her. "Xiao Cun Ding is here too, the little one will be fine, I'll bring her back..."

Standing up, getting dressed, Su Mo made a phone call to call for backup.

Not long after, the four fierce generals who had caused a great uproar at the Governor's Palace on the eve of Hong Kong's return to China, and who had scared the last Governor of Hong Kong so much that he wet his pants, rushed back to Su Mo's side as quickly as possible.

"Master Su!"

"Master Su!"

The four fierce generals, who were orphans back then, have now established their own sects and have their own territories. However, when facing Su Mo, they still dare not even breathe loudly.

More than 20 years ago, Su Mo was just this young, and he personally taught them fighting skills, knowledge of antiques, and taboos and secrets of tomb raiding.

More than twenty years later, the four of them had reached middle age, but Su Mo had not changed at all.