Chapter Two Hundred Sixty-Seven: The Silent Killing Sword

Chapter Two Hundred Sixty-Seven: The Silent Killing Sword

Awakened from deep sleep, the middle-aged man opened his eyes only to see a bloody severed head.

Even a martial arts expert would likely have their legs go weak from fright, so how could this ordinary middle-aged man endure it?

For a moment, he was nearly scared to death.

Nevertheless, he lost consciousness and fainted.

The two white-robed swordsmen looked at each other and smiled silently.

They then shifted their gaze to the woman on the bed.

The woman had actually already woken up, but the scene before her was too terrifying. She thought she was facing a demon or evil spirit, so she dared not open her eyes.

She believed that as long as she kept her eyes shut, the strange presence before her would vanish.

However, she didn’t know that at that very moment, each of the two white-robed swordsmen had drawn a sword from their sleeves.

The cold, gleaming blades gleamed under the starlight, exuding a chilling murderous intent.

With a flick of their wrists, they were about to take the lives of the two on the bed.

Standing outside the window, Xu Lu felt torn between conflicting emotions.

These two white-robed swordsmen were here to kill, not to report back.

Su Mo had instructed him to watch Wang Dingsheng to uncover the mastermind behind all of this.

In that case, his best option would be to stand by and watch.

Let them finish what they came to do, then return and report, ultimately revealing the mastermind.

But if he chose that path, the two would die in an instant.

Though Xu Lu didn’t know the grudge between them or the identity of these two, the actions of the white-robed swordsmen made it clear they were not men of righteousness.

The middle-aged couple was completely ordinary, with no martial arts skills.

How could he stand by and watch them be killed in such a situation?

If he saved them… he would fail to fulfill Su Mo’s orders.

But if he chose not to save them…

In this life-and-death moment, there was no room for hesitation.

His body had already acted before his mind could process.

With nothing in hand, he swung his arm forcefully, and with a whoosh, a sound echoed.

The headless corpse of Wang Dingsheng was hurled out of his hands.

The corpse crashed through the window and hurtled towards them.

The two white-robed swordsmen were about to unsheathe their swords to kill, but upon hearing the sound, they turned their heads and were momentarily stunned.

They had just finished intimidating someone with a severed head, and now a headless corpse was chasing after them?

For a moment, they were terrified.

Letting out a cry, one of them suddenly leaped onto the table, holding a short sword and tensing in preparation.

The other leaped onto the beam, hiding behind a pillar and cautiously observing.

They then saw the corpse crash into the bedpost with a loud thud, and following that, it fell to the ground, motionless.

Seeing this, the two white-robed swordsmen simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately after, their killing intent surged.

Seeing that the corpse didn’t jump up, it was clear that it wasn’t Wang Dingsheng's vengeful spirit.

That meant someone had been carrying the corpse and following them all the way here.

In that instant, the two of them simultaneously leapt outside.

As they looked up, they saw a person standing on the opposite rooftop.

The person wasn’t wearing night clothes, and hastily tied a cloth over their face. Seeing them leap out, the person turned to flee.

The two white-robed swordsmen exchanged glances and chased after him simultaneously.

Since this person had been following them since Wang Dingsheng, though his identity was unclear due to the mask, they couldn’t let him escape.

The three of them—one ahead, two behind—vanished in an instant.

As for the man, who was among the middle-aged couple on the bed, he had fainted from fear, but the sound of the corpse hitting the bedpost disturbed him, causing the bed to shake slightly. He weakly opened his eyes.

Feeling as if he had just awakened from a nightmare.

He dreamed of a severed head staring at him from beside his bed.

Upon careful thought, he realized he didn’t recognize the head.

He couldn’t help but smile wryly, rolled over, and looked up. Under the starry night, starlight shone into the room through the window.

A severed head was rolling on the ground, its eyes wide open even in death, as if it had suffered a great injustice.

Beside the bed, a headless corpse lay fallen, with no blood flowing from the cavity, just a blurry mess that made one’s scalp tingle.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, said nothing, and fainted again.

His wife, with her eyes tightly shut and shivering all over, whispered:

“Do not look at what you should not see, do not look at what you should not see, Confucius did not speak of strange powers or spiritual beings… Confucius did not speak of strange powers or spiritual beings…”

Unaware that she had just narrowly escaped the gates of hell.

In front of the city lord's mansion.

Su Mo clasped his hands in fists:

"Alliance Leader Zeng, please don't leave."

Zeng Youwang let out a sigh:

"Chief Escort Su, it's still quite early. Why not stay a bit longer? I have some fine tea from abroad that I haven't had the chance to offer you for tasting."

"You're too kind, Alliance Leader Zeng."

Su Mo gently shook his head. "Your hospitality today has already been a great imposition on you. I have an escort duty awaiting me, so I cannot stay long. I hope you can forgive me."

"When I have more free time, I will come to visit again, if you'll have me. I just hope Alliance Leader Zeng won't mind."

"Haha!"

Zeng Youwang burst into laughter. "A guest like Chief Escort Su doesn't come often. How could I be troubled? Since Chief Escort Su has pressing matters, I won't detain you. Someone, bring it here..."

As he spoke, someone behind him stepped forward and handed over a small box.

"Chief Escort Su, your martial arts skills and chivalry are unmatched. Your visit to my mansion today has greatly honored me. Alas, I have nothing of great value, so please accept this small token of my appreciation."

"No, no. I can't accept."

Su Mo declined twice, but seeing Zeng Youwang's persistence, he had no choice but to take the box.

Zeng Youwang laughed loudly when he saw this:

"Very well, let's meet again sometime."

"Yes, Alliance Leader Zeng, please return. We're going to enjoy the night view of Jinyang City."

"Haha, how refined of you. Then I won't keep you any longer. Please."

"Please."

After the exchange of formalities, they clasped fists, and Su Mo turned to leave with Yang Xiaoyun.

Zeng Youwang watched them for a long time from the entrance of the city lord's mansion before turning back inside.

As they walked forward for a while, Yang Xiaoyun finally whispered:

"Is anyone following us?"

"No."

Su Mo gently shook his head.

Tonight, their visit to the city lord's mansion to see Zeng Youwang had only one purpose: to 'clear any association with Wei Ruhan.'

This point had to be carefully handled. If done too overtly, the traces would be too obvious. If done too lightly, it would seem unnecessary for them to have come.

Striking the right balance was key to achieving the desired effect.

The rest was up to Zeng Youwang to figure out and ponder.

However, it was expected that this man wouldn't ponder for long.

Wei Ruhan is about to make his move, so we won't need to worry about it.

For now, helping to push things along is just about assisting Wei Ruhan in tidying up the loose ends from the side.

Of course, now isn't the time to dwell on this issue.

Su Mo simply took Yang Xiaoyun's hand and, feeling relaxed, headed to the main street.

"We couldn't bring Xiaoxiao with us this time. Let's get some food and drinks to take back to her."

Su Mo, seeing the many food stalls along the street, immediately thought of something.

Yang Xiaoyun smiled. "Usually, you're the one who scares her the most often. Yet now, you're the first to think of her when you see good food."

Su Mo gently shook his head.

"This trip to East City depends on her being by your side, which allows me to be somewhat at ease.

"It's enough to scare her a little and say I'll cut back on her food.

"There's no way I'd actually do that."

"You're right."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded. "Xiaoxiao is innocent and naive, inexperienced in the ways of the world. The only important thing in her life is eating. Other than that, nothing else seems to matter to her.

"In that way, she actually lives the most carefree life. Unlike us, who are weighed down by countless responsibilities... It's rare to have a moment of relaxation."

"We can afford to take it easy for a bit. Hmm, those pork knuckles look delicious. Let's pack some for Xiaoxiao to snack on."

Su Mo pointed, and even Yang Xiaoyun felt a little tempted by the appealing pork knuckles.

"Should we buy a few more and eat with her?"

"Alright."

Although they had visited the city lord's residence, the visit had quite a few hidden agendas. Who focuses on eating during a visit like that?

Not only did Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun feel uneasy while eating, but it's likely Zeng Youwang didn't enjoy his meal much either. Now that they were back, he was probably stuffing himself...

As Su Mo daydreamed, he had already ordered a few pork knuckles to be packed.

Just as Yang Xiaoyun took some silver from her sleeve and handed it over, Su Mo suddenly turned around.

She immediately followed his eyes and saw three people running through the night...

Yang Xiaoyun blinked.

"The person in front... looks like it's Xu Lu."

By the time she finished speaking, the three figures had crossed the brightly lit long street and vanished into the night.

Su Mo slightly raised an eyebrow. "Seems like they've found something, but the situation isn't quite what I expected."

As he spoke, he pulled Yang Xiaoyun and, in a few swift moves, they were on the rooftop.

After a few steps, just as he was about to chase after them, he paused for a brief moment.

Yang Xiaoyun finally had the chance to speak.

"I haven't gotten the change yet..."

"Don't worry, we'll grab Xu Lu and have a bite together later."

Su Mo cupped his eyes with his hand. "And what's he doing? Circling around Jinyang City?"

Xu Lu was indeed circling around Jinyang City.

The situation had suddenly reversed!

Originally, he had been following the White-robed Swordsman quietly.

But now, Xu Lu was in front, with two White-robed Swordsmen hot on his heels.

But Xu Lu's exceptional lightness skill made him almost impossible to catch.

There was almost no way these two could catch him.

However, he was acting under Su Mo's orders to investigate the matter thoroughly.

Because of a moment of mercy, his presence had been discovered.

So, he decided to slow down a bit, letting them chase him for the time being.

As for how to handle the situation, he hadn't figured it out yet.

He did consider leading the two pursuers directly to Su Mo...

But the problem was that the issue hadn't been resolved.

Bringing the problem back would change how Su Mo saw him.

With no solution in sight, he decided to stall for time.

His way of buying time was to lead the two in circles around Jinyang City.

After all, they were chasing him, so he couldn't just make a run for it.

With his lightness skill, leading them on was like child's play... as long as they didn't trap him in a corner where he couldn't use his skills.

But leading them on like this wasn't a long-term solution.

How was he going to get out of this mess?

As he pondered his next move, he found himself circling around Jinyang City once again.

Just as he was about to shake them off, he suddenly caught sight of two people out of the corner of his eye.

These two were sitting on the roof, gnawing on an elbow, eating with great relish.

Xu Lu nearly lost his balance and toppled off the roof.

The two people were none other than Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun.

Xu Lu was so frustrated he felt like he could choke.

He had been running so hard his feet were a blur, his shoes practically smoking. Meanwhile, these two were lounging on the roof, munching on elbows, enjoying the night, and even watching the show...

And he was the show they were watching.

Just as he was about to say something, the tip of the sword had already come from behind.

Xu Lu stumbled and then leapt into the air, but just as he looked up, he saw a long sword hanging upside down above him, its sharp edge aimed directly at the top of his head.

At this moment, being in mid-air, even if he wanted to dodge, there was nowhere to find leverage.

Although his lightness skill was superb, it was still just that—a skill, not flight, requiring something to push off from.

Now, he could only resign himself to close his eyes and wait for death.

However, Xu Lu was not panicked…

Because he saw that Su Mo had arrived, and he heard the sound of wind breaking.

The corner of his eye even caught sight of something flying toward him, glistening with oil, trembling slightly—it was a large elbow, glistening enticingly!

Su Mo had actually hurled the elbow as if it were a hidden weapon.

The white-robed swordsman above Xu Lu’s head heard this dangerous wind and swiftly turned, his sword shifting silently to point outward.

But what his sword pierced left him astonished.

How could it be an elbow?

In his stunned state, the elbow was impaled, the entire thing jammed against his hilt.

Splash! The elbow exploded, its meat and skin flying in all directions, each piece carrying immense internal force, raining down like flower petals in a storm, pelting him furiously.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

In an instant, the white-robed swordsman’s pristine white robe was now splattered with oil, and a mouthful of blood added a gruesome splash of color to the once pure garment.

Seeing this, the other white-robed swordsman at Xu Lu’s feet knew things had taken a turn for the worse.

Without hesitation, he attempted to flee.

But just as he moved, Su Mo raised a finger, and with a hum, a force pierced through the air.

The white-robed swordsman had only taken a few steps when, mid-air, he was struck, blood spurting from his mouth and nose.

He couldn’t even manage to spit blood properly, as he was now immobile.

Worse yet, having leapt beyond the roof’s edge, his acupoint was struck, leaving him without strength. He plummeted straight down, stiff and unmoving.

Even when he hit the ground and flipped over, his posture remained unchanged.

The white-robed swordsman now rose, and the first thing he did wasn’t to consider his injuries, nor to check on his companion, nor even to attempt escape.

Instead, he looked at his now oil-stained white robe with a face full of dismay.

Looking back up at Su Mo, he saw him coming at him with his sword raised.

“Hmm?”

Su Mo’s brow quirked slightly, and the edge of his sword was already at his opponent’s throat.

For a moment, he became intrigued and gently flicked his finger. A hum sounded as the white-robed swordsman remained expressionless, but he felt a sharp pain in his hand, and the sword nearly slipped from his grip.

Taking advantage of the situation, the swordsman spun around, and the sound of the sword tearing through the air lasted only an instant. The next moment, he suddenly turned again, and with a flash of his blade, the tip of the sword, neither slanted nor straight, stabbed towards Su Mo's waist.

The moment these two moves were made, Su Mo had already seemed thoughtful.

So he didn't use the Flicking Finger technique to block the sword. He simply stepped back, easily dodging the attack. It was at this point that the white-robed swordsman's swordplay finally unfolded.

Xu Lu, standing on the side, was about to step in and interfere when a big elbow came at him.

"……"

Xu Lu looked from the elbow to Yang Xiaoyun. "No need to help?"

"Huh?"

Yang Xiaoyun was stunned for a moment, giving Xu Lu a strange look before shaking her head slightly.

"Just watch the surroundings," she said. "He just wants to take a look at this person's swordplay."

Watching the surroundings was to prevent any surprises.

The rest revealed Su Mo's thoughts.

After all, a gentle flick of the Flicking Finger technique was enough to throw the white-robed swordsman off balance. If Su Mo wanted to take him down, it would be effortless.

Understanding Yang Xiaoyun's words, Xu Lu accepted the elbow, took a couple of bites, and then couldn't help but ask:

"Is there any water? I've been running for half the night and I'm a bit thirsty..."

"Hold on a sec. We can drink when we get back to the inn."

By now, Yang Xiaoyun had almost finished her meal and was quietly watching Su Mo spar with the white-robed swordsman.

By this point, she was starting to see the nuances.

The white-robed swordsman's swordplay was incredibly fierce.

Every move, every strike, was designed to kill.

But what was even more unique was that each of his strikes was completely silent.

Except for the occasional slip that let out a sound, no matter how he swung it, there was complete silence.

In the dead of night, if you weren't paying attention, you'd be dead before you even knew it.

Just then, Su Mo suddenly reached out, grabbed the blade, and yanked it:

"Give it to me!"

Of course, the white-robed swordsman wouldn't give it up.

But if Su Mo wanted it, there was no way he could keep it, even with all his strength. Eventually, his hand tore, and the sword was snatched away by Su Mo.

He tried to lunge forward again but was stopped dead in his tracks when Su Mo pointed a finger at his chest.

"A silent killing sword?"

Su Mo looked at the short sword in his hand. "Could the secret be in the sword itself?"