Quadruple split.

Chapter 2956 Hard Question
[This place? A nation destroyed, a home destroyed?]

Mo Tan was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting that the other party would not only go along with his previous perfunctory statement, but also help to smooth things over, while revealing a considerable amount of information.

This is a delicate place; the country seems to be in a somewhat unsettling state, and most of the people who gather here at this time likely have ulterior motives.

This was the information Mo Tan gleaned from the other party's words in an instant. After that, he made a very bold and unexpected decision after thinking for less than half a second.

“This…brother.”

Meeting the other person's clear and friendly gaze, Mo Tan took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and said with a slightly serious expression, "I have a favor to ask, I wonder if it would be convenient for me now?"

The young master's expression hardened, and he secretly channeled his inner energy to create an invisible 'field' around the two of them, similar in nature to the soundproof barrier in the [Innocent Realm] worldview. He said solemnly, "Brother Chi, there's no need for you to be so polite with me. If you have any requests, I will do anything for you, even risk my life."

"it is good."

Mo Tan nodded and said seriously, "Then I'll be frank. Just before you greeted me, Brother Xie, I didn't even know my surname was Chi."

Young Master Xie: "...Huh?"

In short—I have amnesia.

Mo Tan gave a bitter smile and shook his head, saying, "That's why I didn't recognize you at all. Even now, I don't know if I am the 'Brother Chi' you mentioned. But even so, I can still sense your kindness towards me. So, as the first person who might recognize 'me,' would you be willing to tell me what kind of person 'Brother Chi' is in your memory?"

That's right, Mo Tan confessed directly.

Although she wasn't completely honest about her "soul-swapping and possession" incident, this extremely straightforward behavior was still a bit unconventional. After all, the usual approach would be for Mo Tan to subtly get closer to this Young Master Xie while slowly gathering information. This attitude of "I've forgotten everything, so please quickly educate me" right off the bat was indeed too abrupt.

However, neither Mo Tan outside the game nor "Mo" in the game is the kind of person who likes to play by the rules. Although people who have only had brief interactions with him may feel that this is not in line with his character, associating "upright" with "rigid and pedantic" is the real stereotype.

In fact, Mo Tan's current mental state is not rigid and pedantic at all; on the contrary, it is surprisingly flexible and adaptable. Upon closer examination, we find that this is actually quite logical, because in most cases, it is much more difficult to do good deeds well than to do bad deeds well!

Too often, it's harder to do a good deed than a bad one.

Mo Tan in his current state is the kind of person who is very good at doing good deeds, and in most cases, he is able to do them perfectly.

Therefore, he not only knew how to be flexible, but he was also very good at it, even more 'flexible' than those petty villains who are considered very cunning by ordinary people.

At least for now, among the people Mo Tan knows, apart from Futaba, Foster Ward, Hugh Blaisen, Fialy Graham, and himself in his chaotic neutral mental state, almost no one can compare to him in this respect.

So he found the best option almost immediately and put it into practice.

After exchanging blows with Huangfu Ming from the Sword Soul's memories, Mo Tan clearly realized that this level of 'dungeon' was not something he could easily clear like cutting melons and vegetables. So, given that he was unlikely to complete the mission the first time and had plenty of time, he immediately chose to gather intelligence in the most efficient way possible. Although the side effect might be that he would encounter trouble later on, with the ability to 'load saves', this cost was negligible.

And so—

"Brother Chi, you..."

Upon hearing this, Young Master Xie's eyes widened immediately, and he subconsciously lowered his voice, asking, "You really don't remember anything?"

"All I know is that I am skilled in martial arts, and I am probably a wandering swordsman. My weapon is this long spear on my back."

Mo Tan shrugged and said with a wry smile, "As for my name, what kind of person I was in the past, my wishes, dreams, enemies, friends, and so on, I've forgotten them all completely, including you, Brother Xie."

Young Master Xie nodded slightly and said softly, "Brother Chi, your situation... although rare, is not without precedent. I remember that decades ago, Fang Ping, who was once very famous in the martial arts world for his 'Hun Yuan Palm,' was trapped in a state of 'selflessness' due to qi deviation and was unable to extricate himself. In the end, he was bewitched by evil sorcerers and became a great scourge to the martial arts world in his old age, harming both himself and others."

Mo Tan gave an awkward twitch of his lips, his expression quite subtle, and said, "I... I try my best not to fall into evil ways."

"Ah, no, no, Brother Chi, you are overthinking it. It was my wording that was inappropriate."

Young Master Xie quickly waved his hand, trying to make amends: "Back then, Fang Ping was already out of his mind after going into a state of demonic possession. He became completely confused and stupid, and it was extremely difficult for him to even speak a word to someone. That's why the evil sects took advantage of his weakness. But Brother Chi, your situation is very different from his. At least in my opinion, you are no different from Brother Chi who saved me from prison half a year ago."

"I think there must be some changes. After all, I don't even know who I am now, so how can I be the same person as before?"

Mo Tan smiled casually and continued, "Then, Brother Xie, if it's convenient, could you tell me what kind of person 'Brother Chi' is in your eyes, and what kind of interaction we've had?"

Young Master Xie nodded immediately and said solemnly, "Of course. Brother Chi, you once said that your name is Chi Qing. I am a member of the Xie family from Jiangnan. My name is Yu'an and my courtesy name is Changyuan. Half a year ago, when I was traveling in the northern border, I accidentally entered a deadly place. If it weren't for Brother Chi's righteous rescue, I would probably have been buried in the poisonous swamp long ago. Later, Brother Chi, you carried me for a day and a night, helped me recover my strength, and then accompanied me to wipe out those shameless thieves. I will never forget you."

"I see."

Having helped Qiangpo regain his name, Mo Tan, knowing he was currently playing the role of 'Chi Qing', nodded slightly and then asked Xie Yu'an, "And then?"

"I'm ashamed to admit it."

Xie Yu'an shook his head, saying helplessly, "Although I tried my best to invite Brother Chi to travel with me, hoping we could return to Jiangnan together, but..."

Seeing the other person's embarrassed expression, Mo Tan immediately asked, "Did I ignore you back then?"

"It's not that we ignored them."

Xie Yu'an shifted his gaze with a somewhat subtle expression, forcing a smile as he said, "It's just that they didn't politely decline my suggestion."

It wasn't a very tactful refusal...

Looking at the elegant young master of the Xie family in front of him, Mo Tan guessed that Qiang Po's attitude towards him at the time was probably not very good. It was very likely that even when he was saving people, he was the kind of arrogant and swearing hero who stepped forward to help. So he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was probably busy with something at the time."

"No, Brother Chi, you just thought I was a show-off who was used to being pampered and didn't have enough skills."

Xie Yu'an, who had gradually relaxed a bit, smiled, then changed the subject and said seriously, "However, in the past six months, my strength has improved quite a bit. Although it is certainly not as good as yours, Brother Chi, if I were to encounter those villains again, I could still subdue them all within half an incense stick's time."

Mo Tan nodded slightly and said seriously, "It's clear that Brother Xie's current strength is no less than mine."

"Ha, I'm still a long way from there."

Xie Yu'an laughed heartily, then toasted Mo Tan with tea instead of wine, and said apologetically, "It's a pity that this is all I know about you, Brother Chi. Although we traveled together for a while, thinking back, it seems that I was the one talking and you were the one listening. Moreover, I was saying silly things like how powerful my Xie family was and how I could repay you, Brother Chi. Now that I think about it... I can't blame you for being so cold to me back then."

[I feel like their attitude was really bad before...] Mo Tan thought to himself, then coughed lightly and punished himself with a cup of very ordinary-tasting tea: "Sorry."

"Haha, Brother Chi, don't say that. If I were to look back at that naive and arrogant kid from half a year ago, I wouldn't give my past self a pleasant look either."

Xie Yu'an made a joke, then lightly changed the subject, asking, "Speaking of which, Brother Chi, why did you come here this time..."

"To be honest, I don't know either."

Mo Tan continued to speak frankly, saying with a hint of helplessness, "I feel like I came to my senses and found myself here... Do you believe me?"

"To be honest, if someone else had said this, I naturally wouldn't have believed it."

Xie Yu'an looked intently at Mo Tan and said seriously, "But since it was you who said it, Brother Chi, I believe you."

Mo Tan breathed a sigh of relief, gaining a completely new understanding of Qiang Po's personal charisma. Then he asked bluntly, "So, Brother Xie, tell me about that trivial matter that you think could lead to our 'national ruin and family destruction' by causing people to gather here spontaneously."

"it is good."

Xie Yu'an nodded and said without hesitation, "Anyway, it's not a secret. It would be strange if you didn't know, Brother Chi. I'm telling you now so that you won't easily arouse suspicion when you talk to others later. Otherwise, if you are mistaken for a Di Rong spy... that would be troublesome."

Mo Tan looked at the sincere-faced Young Master Xie with great gratitude: "I would like to hear the details."

"Lord Gaoyang, General Li Chongshan has been killed in battle."

Without offering much explanation, Xie Yu'an, who believed that the other party couldn't possibly not know who the Marquis of Gaoyang was, took a deep breath, a burning anger flashing in his eyes, and gritted his teeth, saying, "For three months, General Li led his troops to defend Gaoyang Pass to the death for three whole months, and did not allow those savages to set foot inside the pass until they ran out of food and reinforcements. However, the higher-ups refused to send troops, and the whole court was filled with voices advocating 'abandoning the pass to protect the country'."

Mo Tan nodded slightly, listening quietly, his expression becoming serious.

"Half a month ago, Gaoyang Pass finally fell, but General Li, who had almost lost 70% of his troops, did not retreat to this side. Instead, he fought to the last moment to cover the retreat of the people."

Xie Yu'an clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, "In the end, all three thousand soldiers died for their country, and General Li also died on the battlefield."

Mo Tan was filled with reverence, silently placing his right hand on his chest and lowering his eyes to mourn for the general he had never met.

"As for the reason why everyone is gathered here..."

Xie Yu'an took a deep breath and said seriously, "On the one hand, it is to prevent those bloodthirsty savages from breaking the agreement and attacking Jiangnan. Although the possibility is not high, Jiangbei is already a river of blood, and we have to be on guard."

Mo Tan frowned and suddenly asked, "Who are the people behind the pro-peace faction in the court?"

“Everyone claims they have no one backing them, but who doesn’t know that those spineless cowards are backed by the Jiangnan gentry?”

Xie Huai'an sneered, then said with a gloomy expression, "After all, even in my hometown, there are quite a few annoying voices."

Mo Tan was stunned for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

"Haha, Brother Chi, there's no need to worry about it."

Xie Yu'an waved his hand understandingly and said with a smile, "Although there are indeed many scoundrels in the sect, and even my father has to make concessions and compromises on many occasions, I am just an ordinary wanderer in the martial arts world."

"clear."

Mo Tan smiled, then pondered for a moment and said, "So, the main reason everyone is gathered here is because they're worried that the Di Rong people, who have breached Gaoyang City, will not abide by their agreement with the current court and will continue their southward invasion?"

Xie Yu'an took a sip of tea: "Yes, or rather, most people think that way."

"Oh?"

Mo Tan also raised his teacup to Xie Yu'an in a slight gesture of greeting, and asked, "So, Brother Xie, you mean... that's not the case?"

Xie Yu'an did not give an immediate answer, but asked in a light tone, "What do you think, Brother Chi?"

"I don't even know who I am, so how can I possibly have any thoughts on this kind of thing?"

Mo Tan chuckled self-deprecatingly, then changed the subject and said softly, "But if I had to say, I don't think we need to worry too much about the Di Rong continuing their southward advance."

Xie Yu'an's eyes lit up: "Oh?"

"After all, the biggest reason why the court was willing to make peace with the other side was to protect the vested interests of certain groups, and these people would not sit idly by while the Di Rong continued to move south."

"so what?"

"So if the other side insists on going south, those who previously talked about negotiating peace will probably become the most hardline pro-war faction in the blink of an eye."

"That's really...great minds think alike."

"I dare not accept the title of hero."

"Brother Chi is a hero to me."

"So, what exactly is the 'other aspect' you just mentioned, Brother Xie?"

"Rumors are circulating in the martial arts world that Xueying has already issued a challenge to Commander Di Rong to a duel to the death."

"Oh?"

"It will happen tomorrow night."

Chapter 2947: The End

(End of this chapter)