Bab 10: Chapter 10: Delivery?
Editor: Atlas Studios
After accepting the silver note, Su Mo took one last look at the corpse and couldn't help feeling regretful.
Regretful not for the person, but because when the previous few had died, he had not searched the bodies...
"This must have cost me a lot of money."
Although it seems like the heroes traveling the Jianghu often disdain such worldly wealth,
Su Mo was not that kind of person...
Money is a good thing, the more the better, especially when he still had an escort agency to manage, it became even more precious.
"There were a total of four people who appeared in the forest, and now two are dead. The remaining male's situation is still unclear, and the female is called Hu Piaopiao... How come I've never heard of any of these people?"
To mingle in the Jianghu is to pursue fame and fortune.
Fortune comes from all sides, more than one could want.
But reputation is a signboard for those traveling the Jianghu.
Although Su Mo was new to the Jianghu, he was not unprepared. He had explored all the renowned names and stories that were well-known in the Jianghu.
Unfortunately, whether it's the man with the Mountain Flipping Palm in front of him or this Hu Piaopiao, he had never heard of them.
Turning, he continued towards Jiming Post, leaving the Taohua Forest behind: "There's no communication on this Mountain Flipping Palm guy with the other few. It seems they indeed were each fighting their own battles. However, each of these people harbors their own schemes, yet share a common front. Aren't they worried that the Mysterious Mechanism falls into one of their hands, and the person won't mention it to them?
"I guess there must be some kind of mutual restraining measures."
However, these people are secretly connected and their ambitions are no small matter. As for what measures they use to check and balance each other, Su Mo couldn't figure it out in a short time.
And after knowing the situation with the Mysterious Mechanism, Su Mo was even less willing to get entangled in this discord.
Everything he did now was out of necessity. He only hoped that after delivering the item, he could smoothly disentangle himself and leave.
...
...
Su Mo initially expected that the situation would become more sinister.
After all, each of the original four people had their own methods.
Now that two were gone, there still remained two.
Though only two people, they contained endless possibilities.
On one hand, the nature of the cooperation between these four people was still unclear to Su Mo.
Inside Luohua Pavilion, the one who claimed to be surnamed Xu certainly didn't know that Chef Zhou had died early, but did the remaining two know that he and that Chef Zhou had already stepped into hell?
If they knew, then the tactics to come would probably be fiercer and harder to guard against.
If they didn't know... then at least they would have different plans waiting for him.
Especially fatal was, what was the deal with this mystery killer hiding in the dark?
The target wasn't himself, yet the killer seemed to indirectly clear hurdles for him...
However, the methods were ruthless, leaving him in a precarious position.
And what about the old and young figures who appeared that night? Did they have anything to do with this affair?
All this intertwined into a complicated mess, surely ought to make the upcoming developments even more chaotic.
But what Su Mo did not anticipate at all was...
He actually arrived directly at Jiming Post!
On this journey, there were no further incidents.
No one disguised themselves in the teahouse, waiting for him to fall into a trap.
Nor was there anyone who invited him to meal beforehand, with the intention of capturing him to extort martial arts secrets or snatch the Brocade Box...
For the latter, Su Mo was actually quite disappointed.
After all, traveling all this way, with expenses from feeding the horses and himself, it would save a lot of money if there were people offering meals wherever he went; he could eat better and sleep well.
Well, if anyone did offer hospitality, surely they wouldn't let you eat chaff and swallow vegetable leaves, right?
Unfortunately, such good fortune only happened to Su Mo this once.
At this moment, he was already standing in front of Yuquan Inn. After a moment of hesitation, he still stepped in.
"Dear guest, welcome! Are you here to stop by or to stay the night?"
As soon as he entered, the waiter greeted him with a warm smile.
"Looking for someone."
Su Mo smiled, "Waiter, could you please inquire if there is a Lord Wang Xianglin staying in this inn?"
"Ah?"
The waiter was taken aback, but still nodded, "Indeed, there is such a Lord Wang. Why don't you take a seat and have some tea, and I will go up and ask for you?"
"Thank you, that would be great."
Su Mo was polite and sat down as guided by the waiter. A pot of clear tea was soon brought before him.
He picked up the teacup to take a look and then poured a little into the cup and gently swirled it.
Eventually, after discarding this tea, he poured another cup and took a sip to moisten his throat.
His ears twitched slightly, and he overheard several waiters murmuring nearby.
"Another one looking for that Lord Wang."
"Indeed. I wonder who this Lord Wang really is. That makes two or three people in the past few days..."
"Speaking of which, one of the men who came looking for Lord Wang seemed to have a look of extreme fear when he left?"
"What's that to say... That woman, I didn't see her come out. Later, when I went to tend to the room, I also didn't see any trace of the woman."
As Su Mo sipped his tea, he listened to the whole conversation. By the time he placed his teacup down, the waiter who had gone upstairs to inquire had returned.
"The guest, Lord Wang has invited you."
The waiter said with a smile: "The number one heavenly room, go upstairs and turn left, it's at the end of the corridor. Please feel free to go up."
"Thank you."
Su Mo reciprocated with a bow and started ascending the stairs.
In a blink of an eye, he was already standing before the door of the number one heavenly room, and he gently knocked.
"Come in."
Upon opening the door, he saw a middle-aged man holding a book, completely engrossed in its content.
The other hand was holding a teacup, but he had forgotten to drink.
"Are you Wang Xianglin?"
Su Mo looked at the man and asked.
The man looked up at Su Mo with a frown, seemingly displeased for being disturbed, "If I'm not, then are you?"
"Haha, of course not."
Su Mo laughed and said, "I am Su Mo, Chief of Ziyang Escort Agency, entrusted by someone to bring you an item."
"An item?"
Wang Xianglin looked at Su Mo upon hearing this, "What item?"
Without hesitation, Su Mo took out the Brocade Box and placed it on the table.
Wang Xianglin's gaze was initially indifferent, but when he saw the Brocade Box, it changed slightly, "Hmm?"
Suddenly, he looked up at Su Mo, "Who sent you with this Brocade Box?"
"Dead."
"Dead?"
Wang Xianglin was stunned, putting down his book and teacup, reaching out to grab the Brocade Box.
But the next moment, Su Mo placed his hand on top of the Brocade Box.
"What do you mean by this?"
Wang Xianglin's brows furrowed as he looked at Su Mo.
However, Su Mo was even more serious, saying each word deliberately, "Money first!"
Bab 11: Chapter 11: Beneath the Night
Editor: Atlas Studios
The escort agency is no charitable hall; where is the reason to provide free service?
So, no matter what kind of conspiracy or vortex this matter is entangled with, as the Chief of Ziyang Escort Agency, Su Mo certainly has no reason to exert effort without receiving payment.
Moreover, from another perspective, the more he behaves like this, the clearer it is that he does not know what is inside the Brocade Box.
Otherwise, how could he give up something like the Mysterious Mechanism, which involves a precious treasure of Da Xuan's Armory, for mere wealth?
Wang Xianglin watched Su Mo, his eyes shifting, then with a smile that was not quite a smile he said, "Do you know who I am?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to know."
Wang Xianglin's mouth twitched: "Then do you know what's inside this Brocade Box?"
"The person who handed this item over to me was on the brink of death. Honestly, if he hadn't died, I absolutely would not have accepted this escort mission.
"But since the item has already been handed over to me, I certainly can't just take it without due process. That's why I've traveled thousands of miles to this Jiming Post, bitterly handing it over to you.
"As for what's inside the box... someone has already lost their life for it, and I do not wish to become the next. Therefore, no matter what rare treasure it contains, it is of no concern to me.
"But one thing... the person said that if I deliver the item to Wang Xianglin at Yuquan Inn in Jiming Post, there would be a generous reward. I've kept that in my heart."
Su Mo spoke plainly: "Now, there's no need for us to beat around the bush, are you going to give me the silver ticket or not?"
Wang Xianglin looked at Su Mo for a long moment, then suddenly laughed heartily: "Good, I didn't expect someone so young to be quite astute. If you remain unscathed, you may well have a place in the Jianghu. Naturally, I will give you the silver note."
As his words fell, he reached into his sleeve and fumbled around, then after a moment pulled out three silver notes and handed them to Su Mo.
"Silver notes from Da You Bank, redeemable anywhere except in Donghuang. These three hundred taels should be enough for this trip, right?"
"Of course."
Su Mo grinned and reached out to take the silver notes.
However, Wang Xianglin pressed his hand down, glancing at the Brocade Box in Su Mo's hand. The implication was clear without words.
"Ha ha ha, as it should be."
Su Mo pushed the Brocade Box over, and Wang Xianglin then handed over the silver notes.
Money exchanged for goods... honestly, this truly doesn't seem like the conduct of an escort; it feels more like a secretive transaction of some illicit item.
Now holding the three hundred taels' worth of silver notes, Su Mo looked at Wang Xianglin, who now had the Brocade Box, and smiled gently:
"The transaction is complete, the deal is done, I will take my leave."
"Mm."
Wang Xianglin simply held the Brocade Box as if he couldn't part with it, completely indifferent to Su Mo's departure.
It was only when Su Mo was about to leave the room that Wang Xianglin finally spoke:
"Here's a piece of advice for you; if you don't want to bring disaster upon yourself, remember to keep sealed lips about today's matter!"
Su Mo turned his head to look at him, saying nothing more, and after exiting the room, he smoothly closed the door behind him.
With the door separating them, Su Mo paused for a moment, then with a thought, a panel opened up in front of him.
[Mission: Deliver the Brocade Box to Wang Xianglin at Yuquan Inn in Jiming Post (Completed)]
[Reward: Calculating...]
Looking at this prompt, Su Mo did not breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, his brows slightly furrowed, he glanced back at the door, then turned and left.
...
...
Inside the guest room, the black cloth wrapping the Brocade Box had been unwrapped, but the Brocade Box had been discarded to one side like a worn-out shoe.
Wang Xianglin sat by the window, with half of it open.
At this time, what he held in his hand was no longer a book, nor the cup of tea he had forgotten to drink.
It was a blade.
He gently stroked the edge of the blade, while his peripheral vision followed Su Mo as he left the inn. He watched until Su Mo's figure had gone beyond the boundaries of the inn, until he had left the street, until he had left this Jiming Post. Only then did he gently exhale.
Suddenly, the other half of the window was blown open by the wind.
Along with the breeze came a person.
The moment this person entered, they already took a seat on the stool by the table.
Reaching out, he grabbed the teacup and seemed about to drink.
But he heard a snap, and the back of his hand was struck by the scabbard.
The following voice came: "Pour it yourself."
"..."
With no choice, the newcomer poured tea for himself and casually placed a sword on the edge of the table.
The sword... was very long, a full seven feet!
"So you're just going to leave like that?"
"It was none of my business to begin with."
"Then I'm leaving too."
"Move faster, and you might catch up."
"..."
The Swordsman was annoyed: "I'm already very fast."
"Clearly not fast enough."
Wang Xianglin glanced outside and said, "They're here."
"...Damn it, do you really think I'm afraid of you? I'm just showing some respect for the elderly!"
The Swordsman grabbed his sword on impulse, leaped out the door, and upon landing, heard the whistle of a staff breaking the air. Looking up, he saw an old man dressed in ragged clothes, holding a wooden stick, with a red wine gourd hanging at his waist descending from above.
The Swordsman intended to draw his sword but after a moment's hesitation, he instead leaped up and fled in haste.
The red gourd old man glanced indistinctly at Wang Xianglin's room window before chasing in the direction the Swordsman had escaped.
One after the other, they quickly disappeared into the distance.
That night, the two individuals Su Mo unexpectedly encountered in the forest had now brought their fight to Jiming Post, and by the looks of it, the battle was far from over.
After Wang Xianglin withdrew his gaze, he sighed softly, glanced at the abandoned Brocade Box on the side, and the corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly, as if pondering something.
...
...
Night!
Tonight was dark, windy, and the gales were strong.
A figure silently leaped out of a second-floor window of the inn.
Tapping the ground with the tip of the foot, with another swift movement, they were already on the rooftop.
Running with fleet feet, yet without making a sound.
If one closed their eyes and did not look, no matter what, they would never imagine that a person was sprinting wildly on the rooftop.
Not just sprinting, but moving very fast, as if chasing the wind, yet seemingly propelled forward by the wind itself.
In a few breaths, they had already left Jiming Post behind.
In a matter of moments, a distance of several miles was left behind.
Suddenly, he came to a stop by a lakeside, gently exhaling a breath.
Flipping his hand, he took out a Brocade Box from his bosom.
He only glanced at it before setting the Brocade Box aside, and with a gentle wipe over his cheek, he tore off a Human Skin Mask.
Revealing a delicate and transcendental face.
Undoing the hairpin, her hair cascaded down like silk and waterfalls in an instant.
But at that moment, her complexion suddenly changed:
"Come out!"
The night was silent, with only the wind whistling. After a while, a young man cracking his knuckles emerged from the darkness:
"This night has just begun, and I have already been startled. How did Wang Xianglin suddenly turn into a woman?"
"You didn't leave!?"
The woman, looking at Su Mo who appeared before her, had a look of astonishment in her eyes.
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