Chapter 544: Chapter 534: Destined from the Very Beginning

He once heard a legend saying that the River of Time under the night was as perilous as one of the most dangerous Forbidden Areas within the Ten Thousand Realms.

The night had already descended, and he dared not move recklessly; all he could do was wait for the elder to return.

The next second.

Ripples spread across the river’s surface, and in an instant, Su Mu appeared before Fang Yuan.

Seeing Elder Su, the tension in Fang Yuan’s heart finally eased.

.....

Su Mu waved his right hand, and a light screen appeared in front of Fang Yuan. Within the light screen was a black wooden box containing a pair of eyeballs.

"Is this the same as what you saw?"

Fang Yuan stared at the black wooden box in the light screen, eyes wide open, and responded, "Yes!"

"Whether it’s the box or the eyeballs, they are exactly the same, not a single difference!"

Due to being influenced by the Power of Cause and Effect, Fang Yuan’s memories were somewhat blurred, but the moment the elder displayed the light screen, his memories became clear.

The shape, color of the box, and every detail of the eyeballs were all identical!

Yet he had clearly drawn the eyeballs very vaguely, and hadn’t even depicted the wooden box. How did the elder know, without missing a single detail?!

Could it be that the elder had already received that "gift" long ago?

Could it mean he was already a step too late?!

....

"Elder, how do you know it so clearly?"

"Could it be.....the elder had already obtained it?!" Fang Yuan was incredulous, and his voice became a bit excited.

If that were truly the case, then he was indeed a step too late!

He hadn’t helped at all!

...

"Yes, I have obtained this wooden box."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.

"But it wasn’t given to me by someone; I found it myself, and got it many years ago," Su Mu said slowly.

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuan was stunned as well.

If the elder had gotten it years ago, why did it appear in the enemy’s hands, and why did the enemy go to such great lengths to return it?!

For a moment, Fang Yuan only felt his head ache fiercely, unable to continue thinking.

Such matters were beyond his ability to fathom.

.....

"Elder, it seems like I haven’t been able to help at all....." Fang Yuan said with a bitter smile.

Hearing this, Su Mu shook his head and said, "No, you’ve helped me a great deal."

"The information you provided is very important to me."

Indeed, the information brought by Fang Yuan forced Su Mu to ponder why something from his home was stolen.

The reason he completely ruled out the possibility of a "traitor from within" was because he would immediately sense if anything in his room was tampered with.

Moreover, since the treasure was stolen by an enemy targeting him, the possibility of a traitor was even more unlikely.

It must have been an outsider thief.

What baffled him was how the enemy managed to bypass the thousands of powerful arrays he had set up and enter his abode undetected, taking away the item.

Even though Su Mu often patrolled outside, his Divine Sense constantly enveloped his home, and even if he went far away, he would intentionally leave a portion of his Divine Sense at home to monitor any activity.

If anything unexpected happened at home, he would know immediately.

...

But his belongings were indeed stolen; there was only one reason, that the enemy’s strength had reached a level where they could bypass his every measure, clandestinely entering his abode and taking anything they pleased.

Su Mu couldn’t think of another possible reason.

Back to the crux of the matter.

Why did the enemy go to such great lengths to steal his belongings and then try just as hard to return them?

What was their intention.....

This was the essential key point.

Was it simply to give him a warning, letting him know that they could stealthily enter his home and take anything, and thus could also annihilate everyone there?

Thinking of this sent chills down Su Mu’s spine. If that was truly their intention, then it meant that the lives of Nannan and the others were already in their grasp.

At that moment, Su Mu’s emotions showed an unusual fluctuation.

He had never lost control of his emotions like this before.

Nannan was his absolute weak spot; if anything happened to her, he would be utterly unable to bear it.

....

The river’s surface started to roil due to Su Mu’s shifting emotions.

He then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

He couldn’t lose his composure, couldn’t let his emotions spiral out of control. If he did, everything would be led by the enemy.

.....

His brain worked rapidly, his Divine Sense highly concentrated, connecting this event with all past events he encountered, deducing and simulating.

Soon, a phrase emerged in his mind.

This phrase appeared frequently.

Each time he questioned the other’s motives, he heard a similar phrase — that Su Mu had blocked their path.

This was likely why the enemy harbored hatred against him.

However.....

For years, he had been stationed on this river, never venturing beyond it.

Though he had collected tolls from many people over the years, even compelling some to sign, Su Mu never made it difficult for them.

If you ran out of money, just sign, and he would let you pass, and he never pursued debts.

Even those who caused trouble on the river, unless it was particularly grave, Su Mu simply taught them a lesson and "sent" them away, without resorting to heavy-handed measures.

Although some came aggressively targeting Su Mu, he was ruthless in dealing with them.

But these people, Su Mu always eliminated thoroughly, leaving no threats behind.

And such individuals were very few.

In his own view, he felt that as a River Guardian, he had been diligent and reasonable.

On ordinary days, Su Mu mostly did good deeds, though motivated by earning Favor Points, he genuinely did good, maintaining the ecological order and ensuring the first river he guarded was orderly and stable.

How had he blocked their path?!

This was truly something Su Mu couldn’t comprehend no matter how hard he pondered.

What frustrated him most was that the enemy he inadvertently offended was exceptionally powerful.

......

At this moment, Fang Yuan also recalled his interactions with Lu Chen and the other two.

Suddenly, he remembered something he had overlooked.

"Elder, I suddenly remembered something, maybe it could give you some insight," Fang Yuan said to Su Mu.