Chapter 8: Spirit Guardians

After the establishment of the Republic, Moze was invited by an old general to join the organization as an honorary advisor. Under the guidance of him and several esteemed individuals, the organization began to move onto the right track, making him one of the founding figures of the organization. How could Sun Yan be unaware of such principles?

Sun Yan was taken aback by Gu Zheng's straightforwardness. He wanted to bring up a host of grand principles to share with Gu Zheng, but upon seeing Gu Zheng's unyielding demeanor, he realized that his preaching would have little effect. After a moment of silence, Sun Yan suddenly recalled something and asked, "Did your master ask you to guard this place? What does that mean?"

It should be noted that the Spirit Guardians are a special team affiliated with a national institution, formally known as the Green Natural Science and Technology Development Center. This is quite an exasperating name; a normal person seeing this name would certainly assume it is merely a company or research institute focused on studying the natural environment or green food. Little do they know the true nature of this center. In reality, this institution is nominally under the General Staff's jurisdiction, and it wields significant power.

Sun Yan glanced at Gu Zheng, truly unsure whether this guy was genuinely foolish or just pretending. He let out a forceful "uh" as if he had swallowed an egg. Squinting his eyes, he observed Gu Zheng's serious expression, which did not seem like he was joking with him.

"It is him!" Sun Yan gasped in shock, then exclaimed, "Mr. Mo has passed away!" Clearly, he was very astonished

Sun Yan almost blurted out his words but immediately swallowed them back, his expression turning into one of shock as he said, "How do you know?!" His voice had taken on a somewhat sharp tone.

Gu Zheng looked at Sun Yan with a sincere expression, but shook his head: "Not interested." After saying this, Gu Zheng gently tapped the stream that had gradually calmed down, shattering the reflection of the bright moon before slowly continuing: "My master has instructed me to guard this place, so in the short term, I cannot leave this mountain. When the day comes that I leave this mountain, I hope not to be bound, but rather to wander freely."

When Sun Yan saw Gu Zheng asking about this, he understood that Mo Ze had instructed Gu Zheng regarding matters related to Li Jiayu. He felt a secret joy in his heart, pondered for a moment, and then said: "This is a long story..."

"Spirit Guardian?" Gu Zheng said, looking into Sun Yan's eyes.

Upon hearing Sun Yan's exclamation, Gu Zheng did not show much surprise, merely responding with a noncommittal "mm" that revealed no joy or sorrow. With Gu Zheng's affirmation, Sun Yan sighed again and said, "Indeed, a renowned master produces outstanding disciples! The experts cultivated by the old gentleman back in the day are now our treasures! Young brother, would you be interested in joining our organization?" Sun Yan did not beat around the bush and spoke directly. He thought that given the relationship between Mr. Moze and the organization, Gu Zheng would not decline, right?

"Then take your time, I have plenty of it." Gu Zheng smiled, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. He looked up at the bright moon overhead, which was shrouded in gloom.

More than twenty years ago, Mo Ze left the organization, claiming he wanted to find a place to enjoy his twilight years. The organization made several attempts to retain him, but to no avail. Mo Ze departed from the organization and has since been out of contact. However, the glorious deeds of Mo Ze are well known to every generation within the organization.

When it comes to Mo Ze, there is hardly anyone who does not know him or is unaware of him. Mr. Mo Ze is over a hundred years old and was one of the young students sent abroad for study during the late Qing Dynasty. He studied in the British Empire for more than ten years and obtained doctoral degrees in theology, philosophy, and history from the University of Cambridge, making him truly unparalleled in history. Mr. Mo is also proficient in ancient Latin and has extensively researched ancient texts from various countries. The University of Cambridge once offered him a substantial salary to stay and teach, but he politely declined. He even requested the university to revoke all his degrees and honors and to destroy any materials related to him, ultimately returning to his homeland across the ocean. However, after his return, Mo Ze did not appear before the public during the tumultuous years of the Republic of China, instead wandering among the great mountains, seemingly in search of something.

In order to recruit Gu Zheng, Sun Yan did not mind leaking these confidential details. He thought for a moment and said: "Not long ago, our organization received a report stating that a group of adventurers came to explore this deep mountain and discovered the now deserted Li Jiayu. After they ventured in, seven adventurers were involved, three died, one was injured, and two suffered mental breakdowns; they are still undergoing psychological treatment. Only the guide seems to be in better condition, but he has no idea what happened. From him, we learned the exact location of Li Jiayu, and we led a team to investigate this area to see if there were any supernatural occurrences that needed to be addressed." As Sun Yan spoke, a look of confusion appeared between his brows.

Their job is to handle certain supernatural events and phenomena occurring domestically, so they privately refer to themselves as "spirit guardians." Due to the nature of the state, the existence of this team is shrouded in secrecy, and ordinary people cannot possibly access this level of information. However, it is quite alarming that such information was so easily disclosed by Gu Zheng, to the extent that even a teenager living deep in the mountains is aware of this organization's existence. Clearly, the organization's confidentiality efforts have been remarkably inadequate

My master's name is Mo Ze. When Gu Zheng mentioned his master's name, he displayed a look of admiration.

"How did an archaeological team come to be equipped with such weapons and talismans?" Gu Zheng smiled and responded sharply. Upon hearing this, Sun Yan thought to himself, "So this little one is quite clever, trying to extract information from me first!" He immediately laughed heartily and said, "I am engaged in archaeological work, but unlike ordinary archaeologists, the work I seek is..."

"Your master is not just a feng shui master, is he?" Sun Yan, noticing that Gu Zheng was not very interested in his identity, had no choice but to change the subject and inquire about Gu Zheng's identity indirectly.

Gu Zheng's expression changed slightly, and he remained silent. After a while, he finally let out a sigh and asked, "What is the reason for your visit to Li Jiayu this time?"

Your master? In shock, Sun Yan couldn't help but think for a moment and asked, "What is your master's name?" The organization is large, with many divisions, and there are quite a few extraordinary individuals within it, so it is impossible for Sun Yan to know them all.

Of course, he is a Feng Shui master. Gu Zheng replied to Sun Yan's words with great seriousness: "People within a hundred miles know my master's name."

I just know. "Gu Zheng smiled. "My master has some dealings with you all. So..." Gu Zheng explained vaguely.

"How could a feng shui master possibly know how to teach you to deal with zombies?" Sun Yan said, both exasperated and amused