Chapter 154: Arrival

Chapter 154: Arrival

Mochengkong...

These three characters were extremely unfamiliar to Su Mo.

However, the reactions of Liu Mo and the others varied upon hearing them.

Seeing Su Mo's puzzled expression, Liu Mo explained softly:

"Indeed, this is the alias of Wuzhi Blade Tong Yun. There are even records of it in the Yuejiang Pavilion.

"We followed this lead, which led us all the way to where we are now."

Upon hearing this, Su Mo frowned: "In the Yuejiang Pavilion?"

"It is indeed in the Yue—"

Liu Mo was about to nod but suddenly paused, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes: "That's not right."

"What's wrong?"

Fu Hanyuan, seeing their perplexed expressions, couldn't help but ask.

Feng Baichuan's eyes grew colder, his aura of killing intent seeming even heavier... but Su Mo and Liu Mo were already familiar with his state.

He was likely even more confused.

"Tong Yun's various actions in East City years ago were all part of an investigation into something.

"Given the mention of the Huai Mountain Five Tigers, this matter should be closely linked to that scroll of music.

"While he was doing these things, he used the alias Mochengkong."

Liu Mo's expression was peculiar: "Even when he approached the Huai Mountain Five Tigers to rob the Ziyang Escort Agency's convoy, he used the same name. The Huai Mountain Five Tigers only discovered his true identity after he launched a surprise attack..."

At this point, he glanced at Su Mo.

Su Mo smiled: "When he attacked my father, he used the Seventh Emotion Immortal Blade technique, Shen Bu Jing, which revealed his true identity... However, after that, the situation took a significant turn.

"He should have known that if his attack on my father using the Seventh Emotion Immortal Blade failed, the Huai Mountain Five Tigers would be able to trace back to his identity.

"But after that incident, he did not kill anyone to cover his tracks.

"Not only that, he even left his alias in the Yuejiang Pavilion...

"Isn't this a bit illogical?"

Fu Hanyuan immediately nodded: "Exactly, exactly. If he was doing something secretive and went to great lengths to change his name, why leave a clue for us to find? In that case, wouldn't all the previous twists and turns be meaningless?"

Feng Baichuan spoke coldly:

"Uncle Master... What is he really trying to do?"

"That, we don't know."

Su Mo shook his head, his heart filled with more turmoil.

The scar-faced man's words had directly traced the origin of everything back twenty years.

It also connected to the Yu family, who were wiped out.

He suddenly recalled that when they returned from the Heavenly Blade Sect to Sunset City, passing by the Hui River, Xu Lu stole the Mandarin Duck Score under the cover of night.

The person who met him then was a nameless and surnameless expert.

At the time, he felt that the situation seemed familiar.

Now, thinking about it, the first time he encountered the black-clothed man in the forest, who entrusted him with the brocade box to deliver to Ji Mingyi's 'Wang Xianglin,' and the four people who ambushed the convoy, weren't they all nameless experts in the martial world?

But after that incident, Su Mo experienced so much that he had almost forgotten about it.

Only the Qilin Swordsman, who occasionally bounced around in front of him, left a lasting impression...

And now, could the Three Absolutes Sect be connected to the massacre of the Yu family back then?

There was indeed a possibility.

The Three Absolutes Sect has the Tian, Di, and Ren sects. In the Heavenly Blade Sect, he encountered either the Di or Ren sect.

According to Li Siyun, the Green Leaf Alliance leader and those monks should come from the Tian sect.

Among the Three Absolutes Sect, the Tian sect is the most complex, with its leader being mysterious and hard to fathom.

Based on what he knew so far, it seemed insufficient to attribute everything to the Three Absolutes Sect.

But one thing was certain: the Three Absolutes Sect was definitely involved in this matter.

From the scar-faced man's words, there were too many inconsistencies with what he previously knew.

He shook his head and looked at Liu Mo and the others:

"What are your plans next?"

Liu Mo glanced at Fu Hanyuan and Feng Baichuan.

Fu Hanyuan rolled his eyes: "I'll definitely follow your lead."

"You decide."

Feng Baichuan didn’t hesitate for a moment and directly passed the problem to Liu Mo.

This made it easy to understand why Liu Mo was so talkative when they met again…

In this line of work, Fu Hanyuan was ultimately just a tool. He wanted to clear his name and seek revenge for himself.

However, due to the lack of trust, his words were not taken seriously.

Naturally, he had no say in the matter.

As for Feng Baichuan… he found it hard to express himself clearly, and often his words failed to convey his true meaning.

In the end, they could only rely on Liu Mo.

At this point, if Liu Mo were still as taciturn and sparing with words as before, many things would be impossible to accomplish.

Liu Mo let out a light breath:

“At this juncture, all the leads have basically been cut off. However, since that escort mission back then did reach the Yu Clan, perhaps there might still be some traces left?

“For now, we can only try our luck.”

Fu Hanyuan and Feng Baichuan nodded immediately; indeed, there was no better plan at the moment.

And their trip here wasn’t to investigate the truth of what happened back then, nor was it to find any musical score…

They were here solely to find Tong Yun.

Therefore, after a moment’s contemplation, Su Mo said:

“If that’s the case, you all must be cautious in your actions.

“I’ve noticed some situations along the way, and I fear that saying too much might entangle you in trouble from which it will be hard to extricate yourselves.

“So, I’m giving you a warning here: if things don’t go well, it’s best to withdraw as soon as possible… to avoid getting too deeply involved and unable to escape.”

After much deliberation, he still didn’t mention the Three Absolute Sect or the Mandarin Duck Score to them.

Their purposes were different, and the Heavenly Blade Sect had no particular attachment to the Golden Jade Cone. Their journey was solely to find Tong Yun.

Finding or not finding her was merely a matter of heart.

If he told them about the Three Absolute Sect, it might cause other complications and endanger their lives.

Thus, the warning he gave was sufficient.

Indeed, Su Mo’s words instantly invigorated Liu Mo and the others.

The group exchanged glances and immediately clasped their fists: “Since Chief Su has spoken, we naturally understand.”

“Good.”

Su Mo sighed lightly: “I have important matters to attend to on this trip, otherwise, I wouldn’t mind accompanying you to the Yu Clan territory. For now, I can only hope that you all encounter good fortune and everything goes smoothly.”

“Chief Su, you’re too kind.”

Liu Mo smiled: “This matter has nothing to do with Chief Su…”

“It may have had nothing to do with me in the past, but now, it’s hard to say.”

Su Mo’s expression was somewhat strange.

Liu Mo and the others nodded upon hearing this.

Who would have thought that their investigation into Tong Yun would lead them to learn from this scar-faced man that the Ziyang Escort Agency had once escorted a musical score.

This score was closely tied to Tong Yun.

Moreover, there were other mysteries surrounding this matter.

Tong Yun’s subsequent actions were all different. Could this be related to the score?

Did Su Mo’s father catch up with Tong Yun back then?

If he didn’t, that would be one thing. But if he did, what happened?

Did their conversation change some of Tong Yun’s decisions?

Was that why he later abandoned his pursuit of the Five Tigers of Huai Mountain and decided to leave some traces of his past in East City at the Yuejiang Pavilion?

If so, it was only because of these clues that they were able to find them twenty years later.

Although this idea might seem wishful thinking,

It wasn’t entirely impossible.

But all these speculations would only be confirmed if they found Tong Yun. Any further guessing now would only add to their troubles.

With that, they said no more. Liu Mo carried the one-armed member of the Five Tigers of Huai Mountain, ready to interrogate him if they encountered any problems along the way.

Su Mo set the scar-faced man’s body on fire and bid farewell to Liu Mo and the others by the fire.

Watching Liu Mo and the others leave, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun retracted their gazes and looked at each other, remaining silent for a long time.

“Uncle Su…”

Yang Xiaoyun glanced at Su Mo: “It seems different from what we imagined?”

Su Mo exhaled and smiled:

With a wave of his hand, it was as if the sun blazed in the sky, his martial arts so formidable that one might mistake him for the leader of the Purple Sun Sect...

"Truly impressive."

However, both Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun had heard from others that this person's martial arts were merely average.

He only managed to keep the escort agency afloat by relying on his father's influence.

But these words from the Huai Mountain Five Tigers clearly told Su Mo that everything they knew was false...

His father was far more complex than they imagined.

How remarkable was Yang Yizhi?

He had built the formidable reputation of the Iron Blood Escort Agency with his Dragon Spear.

Why, then, did he have such a close friendship with Su Mo's father?

If Su Mo's father was just an ordinary escort who relied on his father's influence to barely sustain the agency, would Yang Yizhi have held him in such high regard?

That night in Heavenly Feather City, the unknown black-clad figure described Su Mo's father as "naturally generous and full of valor."

In Li Siyun's words, Su Mo's father was a "great hero."

Anyone who had interacted with Su Mo's father spoke highly of him.

Yet the person whose words reached Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun's ears found him unremarkable.

If there were no issues here, no one would believe it.

However, what exactly was hidden behind all this was still as hazy as flowers seen through mist.

After a moment of contemplation, Su Mo said:

"Li Siyun once mentioned that twenty years ago, he began carrying the scroll of mandarin ducks with him.

"More than twenty years ago, my late father and Uncle Yang escorted the scroll to the Yu Clan.

"There must have been some changes we don't understand."

"The Yu Clan..."

Yang Xiaoyun frowned. "I'm quite unfamiliar with that name."

"They were wiped out over a decade ago..."

Su Mo's brow furrowed slightly. While ordinary people might not know about the Yu Clan, Su Mo was well aware.

The Yu Clan was brutally exterminated due to the Mystic Lock.

Yu Lingxin and the Kylin Swordsman were seeking revenge for this atrocity.

This led to Su Mo's mission to escort the brocade box to Ji Mingyi.

However, the true purpose of Yu Lingxin's scheme that day remained unclear to Su Mo.

Now, even if he tried to think deeply about it, there were no traces left.

If Su Mo's father and Yang Yizhi had indeed delivered the scroll to the Yu Clan back then, what happened afterward?

Could the extermination of the Yu Clan be related to this?

And then there was the Mystic Lock...

At this point, Su Mo felt that those who had destroyed the Yu Clan and sought the Mystic Lock were likely connected to the Three Absolute Sect.

They might even be the same group.

If so, could the Mystic Lock also be linked to the Jade Cone and the scroll of mandarin ducks...

Li Siyun said that to open the secret vault, three items were needed: the Jade Cone, the scroll of mandarin ducks... and a map.

If this matter was indeed related to the Mystic Lock, the map Su Mo immediately thought of was the one that appeared in the Yu Qingguan Mountain Map.

However, that map was kept in the Jade Willow Villa, personally guarded by Liu Suifeng, and no news of any trouble had emerged, which reassured Su Mo.

But if this line of thinking was correct...

Was his adoptive father also involved with the Mystic Lock or the Great Black Tortoise Treasury?

Did this lead to his tragic death in the Jianghu?

What was the reason behind his death back then?

Originally unrelated events suddenly seemed to have a mysterious connection.

"Xiao Mo, overthinking won't help now. We should wait until we reach Haoran Academy and ask Father..."

Yang Xiaoyun glanced at Su Mo, understanding his thoughts.

Su Mo shook his head. "They've guarded this secret for so many years; they must have their reasons. If we ask rashly, Uncle Yang won't tell us...

"But now, it seems impossible for him to extricate himself from this matter.

"Li Siyun delivering the scroll to Uncle Yang must have his own reasons."

"If he insists on keeping us out of this matter, after we return from this trip, he might still act in an evil manner, which could make you leave in anger.

"Preventing us from getting involved."

"This..."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaoyun frowned: "Wouldn't his actions be underestimating us?"

"As parents, no matter how great your martial arts skills are, they will always see you as a child.

"And if this line of thinking is correct, Uncle Yang's fondness for the Fallen Phoenix Alliance isn't without reason."

Su Mo shook his head: "However, whether this is true or not, we need to wait and see. As I said earlier, if Uncle Yang really reacts that way when he sees us, then we'll just go along with it.

"Since asking him won't work, we might as well act secretly."

"Act secretly..."

Yang Xiaoyun's eyes lit up: "How should we proceed?"

"That's simple. If he tries to drive us away, we'll leave. Then we can come back unexpectedly..."

Su Mo winked at Yang Xiaoyun.

Yang Xiaoyun's eyes immediately brightened, but she shook her head a moment later:

"Father is experienced in the ways of the world. It won't be easy to hide anything from him. If we're discovered, it might cause more trouble, which would be counterproductive."

"Then we'll have to find a way to mediate..."

Su Mo smiled: "In any case, let's wait and see what happens."

"Alright."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded and said no more.

Together with Zhen Xiaoxiao, the three continued their journey.

The destination, Haoran Academy, was not far away. After a few days, they had already entered its territory.

The Three Secrets Sect, which had been hiding in secret, remained completely silent, and recently, Su Mo hadn't even felt their presence.

It was as if they had truly given up.

After entering the territory of Haoran Academy, they noticed a significant difference in the local customs.

In today's world, martial arts are highly esteemed, and even an old farmer by the roadside might know a few moves.

There is a saying that scholars are useless.

But Su Mo thought that this saying might have been deliberately spread by martial arts experts.

To keep the common people less intelligent, so they wouldn't oppose them.

After all, any expert, especially a renowned one, has both exceptional martial arts skills and mental acuity.

To say they haven't read books... no one would believe that.

Moreover, if you can't recognize a single character, you won't even understand martial arts manuals.

The practice of cultivating internal energy according to diagrams, like Fu Hanyuan does, is quite rare.

However, the people in the territory of Haoran Academy were very different from the rest of the world.

In any town they visited, they could see many scholars engaged in lively discussions.

Even an old farmer by the roadside could spout a few classical phrases.

Along the streets, there were academies where children's voices could be heard reciting their lessons.

Scholars carrying swords walked confidently, exuding a graceful demeanor.

"Almost every place within the territory of Haoran Academy has an academy.

"These are all established by Haoran Academy for two purposes: one is to broaden the minds of the people, hoping to introduce the teachings of sages and prevent the people from being ignorant.

"The second purpose is for the Inner Court of Haoran Academy to recruit new members.

"In each region, there are both literary and martial competitions in the academies.

"Each area has a quota, and the top few scholars and martial artists are admitted to the Inner Court of Haoran Academy.

"They can either study literature, practice martial arts, or do both, which is why Haoran Academy has always been rich in talent.

"Although its reputation is far behind the Seven Great Sects, it cannot be underestimated."

Seeing Su Mo's curious expression, Yang Xiaoyun explained softly, but then added with a smile:

"Actually, Haoran Academy's approach has led to some criticism. Some people, openly or secretly, try to sabotage Haoran Academy...

"However, Haoran Academy employs various methods, and in the early years, there were still people who dared to cause trouble here, but now no one dares to.

"It is said that a gentleman can be deceived by clever means, but the former head of Haoran Academy once told everyone that while a gentleman can be deceived by clever means, if the deception goes too far, he will respond with a fist.

"Only when moral principles and physical strength are combined can people truly understand."

"..."

Su Mo was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "If this headmaster ever met Master Hongyun, they might feel a sense of regret at not having met sooner."

After several more days, the three of them finally arrived at Haoran Academy.