Bab 4: Chapter 4: Night Encounter
Editor: Atlas Studios
In a perilous mountain wilderness, a young man leaps and bounds across the terrain with ease, as if walking on flat ground.
"With profound Inner Strength, everything indeed becomes easier. The Qinggong technique 'Water Traces Shadow Crossing' of the Ziyang Sect used to reveal to me only a hint of its profound mysteries, but now, with the augmentation of my Inner Strength, it's as if I have been reborn!"
The person here was none other than Su Mo.
After taking on the mission, he naturally had to hurry to Jiming Post.
He had feigned departure earlier, merely to deceive the onlookers; in reality, he had circled back to clandestinely investigate those hidden in the darkness.
However, this round-trip maneuver positioned him behind those people.
To avoid revealing any flaws to the enemy, Su Mo had no choice but to blaze a new trail with his Qinggong, cunningly circumvent them, and emerge ahead without their notice.
With the enemy and ally clearly identified, yet the information asymmetry prevailing, no matter what tactics the opponents deployed, Su Mo could easily thwart them.
As long as he could deliver 'that thing' into the hands of someone named Wang Xianglin at Jiming Post, right under their noses.
Then, this matter would have nothing to do with Su Mo anymore.
Whatever complications arise in the future would be between Wang Xianglin and these henchmen.
As for himself, if there was escort silver to be obtained, he would earn Silver; if not, the system mission's reward would still ensure a profit without loss!
"This is the true way to protect oneself in the Jianghu; otherwise, simply killing these few people... not to mention the ease, even if they truly were killed, it would not necessarily be safe.
"Troubles may still seek you out afterward.
"Only by truly casting off these troubles could one make the wisest move!"
Pausing ever so slightly, Su Mo swiftly assessed his surroundings and estimated, "I have traveled forty or fifty Li, I should already be ahead of them by now..."
Immediately discerning his path, within moments he arrived upon a desolate ancient pathway amidst the mountainous woods.
"If I follow this path at my normal pace, pressing on night and day, I should be able to reach Jiming Post in another four days."
Letting out a slight breath, Su Mo continued his determined march.
Time swiftly passed, the sun began its descent in the west, and the elongated shadows of the trees swayed, the distant sky dyed in reds and purples, hinting at the bleakness of approaching autumn.
Not long into his journey, at the roadside of the wild mountains, a quaint little tea house suddenly came into view.
Su Mo's eyebrows quivered ever so slightly: "Could it be that I've arrived?"
An inn on an ancient road is hardly a place of safety.
Consider who would open a tea house in such a rarely trodden place; aren't they afraid that travelers with malicious intentions would commit murder and robbery?
Consequently, tea houses and inns situated in desolate locations are often fraught with danger.
One might carelessly find oneself in a murderous inn, becoming the proverbial 'fat sheep' on the butcher's block.
Yet, Su Mo proceeded knowing full well the dangers, like venturing deliberately into the tiger's den. However, upon approaching the tea house, he realized he had guessed wrong.
He had guessed wrong, not regarding the beginning, but the outcome!
The tea house was small, with a few tables scattered on one side.
A corpse lay sprawled over the counter, a knife piercing through its neck!
The blade had not only penetrated his neck but also the counter, with blood dripping down from the knife tip onto the ground, bit by bit.
The eyes of the corpse were wide open, retaining the terror that had filled them in the final moments of life.
This was someone Su Mo recognized... one of those who had been surreptitiously spying on him earlier!
And because of this, Su Mo had not guessed the beginning incorrectly.
This person had set up this tea house here, evidently in anticipation of his arrival, presumably with the intent to trap him within.
However, he had guessed the ending wrong.
He had already thought of several ways to cope, but never did he imagine that none of them would be necessary.
Because he never anticipated that someone would kill him before any of that happened!
Who was it that made the move?
Su Mo stood still, lost in thought.
After a moment of silence, he walked past the body and came to the back of the teahouse.
There, lay two more bodies.
However, compared to the one outside, these two were treated with much more dignity.
They had been killed by someone but were neatly laid out side by side.
Judging by the state of the bodies, they had been dead longer than the one outside.
"It wasn't the same person's doing... So, were they the original owners of this teahouse?"
Su Mo sketched out a conclusion in his mind, resolving an uncertainty:
"I thought I had outflanked them, but the murderer had outflanked me instead. By chance, there was a teahouse by the roadside in the wilderness. Thus, after the killing, the murderer occupied the nest, quietly waiting for me to walk right in.
"I wondered, even if you have great Divine Skills, how could you conjure a teahouse out of thin air so quickly?
"Yet, for some reason, someone introduced complications and ended up stabbing him right here at the counter.
"This has become interesting, who could it be that did it? You do a good deed and don't leave a name, but at least leave a note, right?"
He shook his head slightly, unable to comprehend at the moment, but several possible conjectures emerged in his mind, though it was pointless to discuss them now.
After wandering around inside and outside the teahouse and failing to find any clues, Su Mo decided to leave it be and continue on his journey!
In Jianghu, there are too many things beyond explanation or understanding.
There's a saying, "Don't be surprised at the strange; the strange defeats itself!"
Whoever did this and for whatever reason, if it was meant for him, they would eventually reveal themselves.
Getting in a panic now, truly unwise!
After leaving the teahouse and continuing towards Jiming Post, the sky gradually darkened.
Su Mo didn't travel at night, and with nowhere like an abandoned temple to rest, he simply found a suitable spot and started a fire.
He warmed up some flatbreads from his pack over the fire and ate them with plain water.
"Tomorrow, as I pass through a town, I must buy a roast chicken to have on hand. Eating these flatbreads every day is really tasteless."
While speaking, he suddenly sniffed the air, as the smell of meat wafted to him on the nighttime breeze.
Su Mo was astonished: "Did sleep come upon finding a pillow? How come I smell meat as soon as I mention roast chicken?"
In a short while, he saw a person swaying towards him from the shadows.
By the light of the fire, it was clear that the man was not young.
His hair was messy, and his clothes ragged. A large red gourd hung from his waist, staggering with every step he took.
In his left hand he held a stick, and in his right, he carried a roast chicken, gnawing at it as he approached the firelight. He sat down without giving Su Mo a second glance, put the chicken aside, and took off the red gourd from his waist, immediately releasing the scent of alcohol.
He lifted his head and guzzled, then sighed deeply: "Good wine!"
After speaking, he glanced at Su Mo:
"Do you dare to drink?"
Bab 5: Chapter 5 Disagreement at Once
Editor: Atlas Studios
Jianghu chivalry, green robe and longsword, indulging in carefree roaming!
Plenty of drinks in big bowls, eating meat in large chunks, all in a heroic and bold spirit.
By chance meeting on the road, sharing a pot of turbid wine, talking about half a lifetime's experiences, there's an air of liberation in it.
Logically speaking, Su Mo shouldn't have refused.
However... he did, quite decisively.
"I dare not!"
How did it come to ask myself whether I dare or not?
Who knows who this person is?
What is the purpose of his visit here?
Is there something mystical in this wine?
Why drink wine for no reason?
There is a saying among the escort masters, which they regard as an absolute rule.
That is, safeguard a third for safety!
The so-called safeguarding a third for safety means... show a third of a smile, give a third of reasoning, drink a third of the alcohol!
And for the latter, actually, if one can avoid drinking alcohol, they should.
Drinking alcohol can lead to mistakes, unless it is extremely cold and the alcohol is used for warmth, and even then, one should only drink a third of their capacity and be wary of what's in the cup.
Now it's summer, not to mention Su Mo is young and strong, and even has the protection of Longxiang Wisdom Divine Skill.
He doesn't carry wine himself, so why would he drink wine offered by this stranger?
"Uh?"
The person across narrowed his eyes slightly, appearing more imposing: "Are you afraid that there is poison in this wine?"
"Yes."
"..."
The man fell silent for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words.
Who would be so straightforward?
Embarassedly, he retracted his hand: "Youngster, you fail to recognize a treasure, my precious wine in this gourd is wasted on you."
Su Mo just sneered coldly, munching on his own flatbread.
The visitor, whose origins were unknown, drank heavily in front of Su Mo, devouring the roast chicken bite by bite.
Until chicken bones littered the floor.
After drinking too much, he even started a drunken rant, getting up to curse heaven and earth.
Angry at the heavens for being unjust, the earth for being uneven, and the many divergent paths in the world, his tongue blossomed like lotuses, leaving Su Mo wide-eyed and speechless.
"Where did this madman come from?"
But these weren't Su Mo's words.
The speaker was right across Su Mo at this time.
Hands folded across his chest, holding a sword in the fold.
The sword was long!
Ordinary swords exceed three feet, but the sword of this person was a full seven feet!
The sword was long and straight.
The man also stood upright.
Just like the sword in his hands.
This person arrived swiftly; Su Mo heard his movements when he was still miles away, yet suddenly he was already here.
Hands circling the sword, his words mocking.
But Su Mo could hardly disagree with him.
The drunken maniac indeed looked like a madman.
Even if he really was a madman, he probably wouldn't appreciate being addressed as one to his face.
Therefore, he suddenly stood upright, looking towards the man holding the sword.
"What did you say?"
"Saying you're a madman."
"You're right."
"Good that you know."
"Consider it as a reward!"
"What reward?"
"A reward of wine!"
As these words ended, the wine gourd suddenly flew through the air, whistling fiercely, carrying a gust that seemed to tear through the void, heading straight for the person holding the sword.
"Hmm?"
The person's eyebrows slightly raised, still embracing the sword with one hand, while the other subtly pressed down in the air.
Immediately, the wine gourd spun ceaselessly two feet in front of him in the void, unable to advance any further.
Su Mo silently clutched his pancake, retreating slightly backward.
Encounters on the Jianghu leading to sudden brawls were quite common.
Being a bystander was fine, as long as one avoided getting splashed with blood.
"I have always disliked drinking in my life, here, take it back!"
The sword-bearer suddenly stamped lightly on the ground, and as his inner breath flowed, his sleeve fluttered without wind. The spinning gourd in mid-air was suddenly shot back in reverse.
Yet, the man, previously scattering wine like a madman, swayed and appeared in front of it, catching the wine gourd before it could hit with great force, still spun around from the momentum.
He didn't panic; utilizing the movement, he swiveled and swung with his staff:
"Respect the drink or suffer penalty!"
This stick technique was bizarre, and in a flash, the sky was filled with images of the staff.
"Excellent staff technique!"
The sword-bearer's eyes lit up, not daring to be careless, he immediately withdrew.
He retreated judiciously, just three feet.
All the staff images in the sky silenced just in front of him, a line that seemed as distant as the end of the world.
At that moment, the staff technique sharply turned, focusing at one point, striking directly towards the heart.
"Draw the sword!"
The sword-bearer exclaimed softly, and as his inner strength burst forth, the longsword in his embrace suddenly unsheathed.
The seven-foot longsword turned in mid-air, its tip colliding with the staff.
A buzzing sound was heard, as Sword Qi and inner strength burst forth simultaneously.
Whoosh, the campfire that Su Mo had lit roared and glowed brightly from the blast.
Looking up again, the two in front were caught in fierce combat.
The sword-bearer wielded the longsword, moving intricately and ruthlessly.
While the man, previously scattering wine, handled the staff with fluid motions, flipping between left and right, his footwork elusive and deceitful, yet meticulously defensive.
Su Mo himself practiced the Ziyang Sect martial arts passed down through his family.
However, the original owner was neglectful. Although Su Mo was diligent, he regretted that there wasn't enough time for cultivation.
Watching the battle before him, he felt he had learned a lot in a short time.
However, benefiting much didn't affect his judgment. Without any hesitation, Su Mo packed his belongings and left.
These two people had unclear origins and brawled for unknown reasons.
It's best not to stare too long at uncertain and dangerously lively scenes, lest he inadvertently becomes another spectacle.
He withdrew rapidly, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Upon looking back, the light of the fire and the sounds of the skirmish were thrown miles behind.
He shook his head lightly: "I intended to rest well and continue the journey early tomorrow. Yet, these two madmen stirred trouble; forget it, I won't sleep. This Brocade Box is a hot potato, I better deliver it to Wang Xianglin soon..."
Resolved, he paused no longer and continued his journey.
The night passed into the next clear morning without issues.
Which was a surprise to Su Mo.
He had suspected that last night's duo must have been connected with the Brocade Box.
He had pondered that the night might bring more encounters.
Unexpectedly, the saga had no further developments?
Raising his head, he saw a town within sight, deciding no longer to dwell on last night's events, he first opted to enter the town for some food and necessities.
Words are long with stories, short without; soon, Su Mo reached the town.
The sign read: Wangxiang Town.
Stepping inside, just as he reached the town entrance, he saw a servant looking around. Upon spotting Su Mo, the servant observed him carefully for a moment and then approached with a face full of joy.
"Excuse me, sir, might your surname be Su?"
Hadiah
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